The Mystical Christmas Calendar ( Christmas CountDown Story 2016 )
by Winnifred Artemis
Summary: You know what they say - a tradition starts with the third time you do something. I've been posting Christmas Calendars for you guys: In 2014 it was Naruto, and in 2015 Bleach. This year (2016), I will let you spend Christmas with all of your favorite Survey Corps / Scout Regiment in the Attack on Titan world - Every day from December 1st to December 25th - and New Year as well.
1. 00 - Prologue

**A/N:  
** You know what they say - a tradition starts with the third time you do something. In the two previous years I've been posting Christmas Calendars for you guys, and I'm not gonna let this year slide by without one either. In 2014 I played around with Naruto and Konoha, in 2015 with Bleach and Las Noches, and this year, I will let you spend Christmas with all of your favorite Survey Corps / Scout Regiment in the Attack on Titan world.

This is my Christmas gift for you, but although it will be told from December 1st to Desember 25th, I will give you this prolog to give you a taste of what will come.

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

 **PROLOUGUE - November 17th**

* * *

"Shouldn't we be able to see it by now?" The voice of the scientist ripped through the otherwise silence that laid as a heavy blanket over the the vast, empty plain. "We've been riding for several hours now. I thought you said we'd be able to get there before lunch."

Although she tried her best to hide it, there were still layers of irritation seeping through her words. Hange Zoë was well aware of this, but she much preferred the irritation to shine through, rather than everything else she was feeling. Although she rarely showed it, the eccentric scientist wasn't always as carefree as she let her fellow soldiers know. There were many dangers in the world they were living in - and especially outside the walls. Normally it would seem like she thought of each mission as an adventure, but although that had been the truth when she first joined the Scout Regiment, as she learned the truth, she had changed. Still, she couldn't let that be known. If she showed signs of doubt or fear, there would be no way to motivate the endless stream of new recruits. With that in mind, Hange put on her wild and whimsical self; painfully aware that each and every day would bring death to those around her.

"Yes, we should reach it soon," Armin, riding on the close left side of the squad leader, carefully loosened his right hand's grip and let go of the horse's mane. Using his now free hand, the boy unfolded and looked down upon the map fastened to his leg. "Yes, it should be in sight in any sec-"

"There!" Mike Zacharias shouted, pointing ahead.

Armin looked up from the old map and looked in the direction his squad leader was pointing. There, on the horizon, they could glimpse a couple dark silhouettes.

"Are you sure?" Hange rode up to her comrade, squinting, as her eyes tried to take in the details.

Those closest to him could hear the sound of sniffing, before Mike nodded to himself and continued: "I'm positive. It's clay and wood, burned materials, and gunpowder that-"

"Wait," Hange bursted out. "Burned?"

"Yes," Mike nodded. "Mostly wood. Although," he added as he spotted the worried wrinkles spreading across Hange's brow, "It's not recent. More likely, it's the remains from the soldiers that were once stationed here."

Hange nodded, but the alternative frightened her. They had set out as the sun sent its first rays of sun down the walls of the castle. It had been decided the previous night that they should set up another base, and Commander Erwin Smith had decided to send Hange and Mike out to the west, while Levi was to take his special operations squad down east. The objective for both groups were to seek out the previously used bases and camps in available areas outside the Walls. With the number of titans growing, he had decided that now was the time to move camp, to keep a better eye on the situation.

This was all well enough, but Hange still wasn't sure that this was the right decision. Although the base was located a little distance from where they usually scouted, there was a reason why it had been chosen. The tall wall of thick stone provided great shelter as well as protection in case of an attack. Leaving the fort, and settling in a smaller base, would just make them more vulnerable and give them no place to barricade themselves if overpowered by the Titans.

But there was nothing Hange could do with that. It had been an order, and although she was outspoken, she knew that Erwin most likely had thought this through many times. So, before she had gone to sleep that night, the squad leader had called together those that would make up her team.

In addition to the bright Armin Arlert, the scientist had brought along Jean Kirstein. The boy was a bit of a troublemaker, but she could definitely see the potential in him to become a leader. That, the scientist noted, was if he could keep his attention on the mission.

She had thought it through before picking them, but even though it could be a distraction to the boy, she had gone ahead and brought along the girl as well. Although Hange had seen many fine soldiers in during her years, Mikasa Ackerman came out as one of the finest. To be honest, there had been many times when the squad leader had been lying awake at night; pondering and debating back and forth how a battle between the girl and 'humanity's strongest soldier' himself would go.

She sighed. It was something that she would probably never get an answer to. If those two went all out on each other, then the world would be as good as doomed - at least in the eyes of Commander Erwin. No, there would be no battle of the beasts. Or, she smiled to herself, such a sight might be possible if times got hard and there was little food. Cause, although Hange had just made acquaintances with Sasha Blouse, there was something about the fun-loving girl that just couldn't be seen as anything but ferral. Her instinct seemed to be especially sharp, and she had brought her along to let Mike - who himself had a remarkably good sense of smell - gain more intel on the girl's ability. For the same reason, she had picked Bertolt Hoover. The boy's files had marked him as highly proficient in various hand-to-hand combat styles, but there was a lack of assertiveness. Hange had yet to get her own take on the recruit, and this scouting could be a good place to start.

"I'll go around and secure the back." Mike shouted, as he laid his horse to the right. "Bertolt, follow me."

"Have fun!" Hange called after them, before turning to the rest of the group. "As for the rest of you, stay close. We don't know what might meet us."

"Right!"

They approached the old stone building, and as they did, they grew optimistic. While not a fort, the base was still pretty decently built. Hange eased her shoulders and, glancing back, she could see others do the same.

* * *

"It might not be that bad..." Hange mumbled to herself, as she let her hand trace the stone wall, admiring the lack of cracks.

"Well, I don't think he'll agree."

"Hm?"

Beside her, her blonde partner let his own hand run over the surface of a table. "It will take several rounds of scrubbing before it could be considered liveable."

"No, don't say that. I don't wanna clean," came wailing from the next room, and soon, Sasha's sad face appeared, looking at them through the doorway. "It's gonna take forever, and it's already pretty late."

"We still have time," Mike informed her. "But, I agree with you. Cleaning up this place would take days, and besides, the Captain will most likely go over it himself."

"True. But we should look through the building for supplies."

"Jean is inspecting the stables. Bertolt and Mikasa are still going through the upstairs together. This floor is checked as well. All that remains is the basement. I sent Armin down there earlier, but he hasn't reported to me since.

"Really? That's interesting." Hange was already on her way to the basement when she looked back over her shoulder. "Sasha, join me downstairs."

* * *

"I can't see anything." Sasha complained as the three of them reached the bottom of the stairs. There was no source for natural light, and the candle she was holding in her hand barely lit up the area around her. "Armin?"

No one answered. Sasha was about to try calling out for him again, but before she could do so, a bright light blinded her.

"There," Hange grinned. In her hand she was holding a powerful flashlight.

Sasha was about to ask her superior where she had hid the light, but something caught her attention.

In the middle of a pile of books sat Armin.

"Armin," she walked over to him and shook his shoulder. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just found this."

"What is it?" she looked down on what her friend was holding in his hands.

"I think I've heard about something like it…" Armin studied the piece of art in front of him. "It's some kind of cultural artifact or tool. I remember seeing a picture of a similar one in a book from Grandpa..."

"Your grandfather?" Mike raised his brow.

"Oh, just drop it, Mike." Hange said "It's not like you're gonna report the old man. It was a stupid law, if you ask me. Hiding knowledge." She let out a snort as she turned and buried her head in another set of boxes. "And they say I'm the crazy one."

The tall man sighed, shaking his head as he as well, turned back to the dusty boxes.

"So, what is that thing?" Leaning over his shoulder, Sasha looked down on the pretty picture. "And what are those? Angels?"

"I think it's called an 'Advent Calendar'"

"A what?"

"It's a special calendar used to count or celebrate the days in anticipation of an old holiday called 'Christmas'. If I'm not wrong, many take the form of large rectangular cards with "windows" of which there are usually 24: one for each day of December, leading up to Christmas Day." He moved his finger and traced along the print of pale numbers. "The doors are opened starting with the first one. Consecutive doors are opened every day leading up to Christmas. The calendar windows open to reveal an image, poem, a portion of a story or a small gift, such as a toy or a piece of chocolate."

"CHOCOLATE!"

It was all Armin could do to keep the calendar in his arms.

"No! Sasha! Stop it!"

"What's going on?" Mike hurried over to them. Seeing what all the commotion was about, he couldn't help but sigh. "It's time we headed back. Sasha, go upstairs and tell Bertolt, Jean, and Mikasa to prepare for the journey."

"But…" she let out a sigh. "Yes, sir."

Armin watched as Sasha, followed by Mike and Hange, left the basement. When he was sure none of them were watching, he went over to an old wooden chest.

"It should be safe here," he mumbled to himself as he placed the calendar inside before closing the chest. "Desember will come in two weeks… I'll be back for you then."

* * *

 **A/N:  
** That's it for now, BUT I would love to hear from you guys:  
What do you think? and what do you espect of it?  
Have you read any of my previous Calendar stories? or any other Calendar stories?

Please leave a review with your thoughts, okay?

 **Please like /follow me if you enjoy my stuff:**  
FaceBook: WinnifredArtemisDub  
Wordpress: WinnifredArtemis  
Player: WinnifredArtemis  
Twitter: WinnyArty  
Pintrest: WinnyArty  
Fanfiction: WinnifredArtemis  
Fictionpress: WinnifredArtemis


	2. 01 - December 1st

**A/N:  
** December is officially here, and so is the frist chapter of my Christmas story this year. I hope you read the prologue - because this time around it's actually a part of the story - so go back and do so if you have yet to read it.

That said, I hope all of you have an awesome December 1st, and that you will leave a comment down in the review when you've read the chapter^^

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 1ST

* * *

It had been a hard travel. They hadn't been on the horses for more than an hour before they encountered a group of titans. Luckily, they had been small, and the scout regiment had been able to take care of them without any losses.

"You didn't tell me much of this place." Captain Levi complained as he rode up to Hange Zöe. "The report was as good as useless."

"Useless? Well, I wouldn't say that." The section leader argued.

"The house looks liveable." Levi quoted.

"It did." The scientist insisted.

"That's not good enough. That's why," He sent her a grim smile. "You can spend the rest of the journey giving me all the details."

Behind them, Eld looked at Gunter. "Did you bring it?"

"Of course. Couldn't have lived without it."

"Oh yeah?" Connie winked. "You've brought some as well?"

"You like card games as well?" Gunter raised his brow.

"Cards?" A dark red flushed the recruit's ears. "I-I, of course! I love… ehm… cards."'

"Well, you're more than welcome to join in if you'd like to." Eld told him. "We'll be playing in our sleeping quarters."

"Oh, yeah, that's true. We're gonna have new sleeping arrangements. You guys wanna share a room?"

The two elite soldiers looked at each other.

"Well… it's not that we wouldn't want to share with you," Gunter began. "It's just-"

"The special operations squad always shares a room."

"Ah," Connie couldn't help but feel disappointed. "So it's the two of you, Oluo and the Captain… Makes sense."

"The Captain?" Eld shook his head. "He's not in our room. He prefers a room to himself, and if he has to share, he always goes to bunk up with the Commander."

"So it's three in each room? I thought it would be at least four."

"It is."

"Then who?"

"Petra."

"Wow, really?" Connie's eyes widened. These guys had been sharing rooms with a girl. "But she's a girl-"

"She's a soldier."

"Captain."

Without them noticing, Captain Levi had held his horse back and was now riding beside them.

"Yes, of course," Connie admitted, "but still, aren't there rules about separating the genders?"

"You're not in training camp anymore."

"Cool! So I can sleep wherever I want?"

"We're going to stay together, right?" Ymir asked, picking up on their noisy friend.

Krista blinked, "Yes, of course."

"Hey, can I too?" asked Sasha, her mouth full of bread.

"Yes. That would be great." Krista announced. "How about you, Mikasa? Would you want to stay in our room as well?"

"Well..." Mikasa looked over at her female friends. "You know, I think I'll stay with Eren and Armin."

"Ah, okay."

"Really?" Eren glared at Mikasa. "You're gonna stay in the same room as me? You're not my mother, you know."

"Eren…!"

"No, it's okay, Armin." Mikasa sent them a last look, and then she kicked her horse, riding up to the other girls. "Hey, Krista. On second thought, I'll join you guys."

* * *

When they arrived at the new base, Mikasa had yet to return to them. From where Armin and Eren stood, they could see her talking with Rico Brzenska. It had come as a surprise to them that the leader of the 1st Division Elite Force of the Garrison was going to join the scout regiment on their move. However, she had explained that she was not becoming a member, but that she wanted to go see the outside for herself, to make up her own mind to be as prepared as possible for her future decisions.

"Ey, Eren."

Eren turned towards the voice, "Yeah?"

Jean looked left and right. "Where did you hide Mikasa?"

"What? What do you mean? I haven't hid anyone. How should I know where she is?"

"Geez, man, I was just asking."

"Well, I-"

"ATTENTION!"

They turned to the origin of the booming. In the center of the courtyard, on the back of his horse, sat Erwin Smith. And, as the mumbling around him quieted down, he continued:

"You have made me proud today, soldiers. I had faith in your ability, and you proved that my faith was not misplaced. You have all worked hard, but there is still more that needs to be done before we can call it a day. You will be divided into groups. After being assigned to a group, you will start cleaning and tidying, before moving into your new quarters. Our focus will be on the kitchen and the meeting room, as well as your new sleeping quarters."

After having delivered another set of instructions, Erwin slid down from his horse, and as he did, everyone started moving. The high ranked officers all made up their own work groups, and soon, soldiers were swiping, cleaning or polishing each part of the house.

Armin, eager to ensure the safety of his earlier discovery, made his way down into the basement, but as he emerged from the basement, a strong hand gripped his shoulder.

"Cadet Arlert."

"Yes, sir."

"What is that you are holding?"

"A calendar, sir. A Christmas artifact."

Erwin leaned in close and took a look at the object. "What are those?"

"They're windows, sir. You are to open one every day, sir."

"I see." Erwin scratched his neck. "It seems like an interesting activity. However," he said, his voice falling into a serious state. "You will have to wait until today's work is done. It that clear?"

"Yes, sir. Of course, sir."

"Good." The Commander turned to continue on his inspection, but then he stopped and turned back. "Make sure to inform me when it's to be opened, okay?"

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

It was several hours later that Armin was finally able to do what he'd been waiting for.

After having polished the downstairs bathroom - before seeing it being used in between inspections, having to clean it once more - he had finally been given the rest of the day off. By then, they'd all been hungry, and were more than happy to devour the stew Petra and Jean had made for them.

Now, Armin was sitting up in his room, but he was not alone. In addition to his room mates, Eren and Connie, others had come by after hearing of this mystical Christmas artifact.

"Hurry up, will you?" Jean complained from his seat on Connie's bed. "It's late."

Armin nodded. Then, with fingers that shivered in anticipation, he let his nail slide underneath the window maked with '1'.

It gave away at once, and out from its hidden room fell...

"A piece of paper?" Mikasa blinked.

"There's no chocolate..." The grief was plain on Sasha's face. "I thought... " She began on a sigh, but halfway through, it was replaced by a yawn. "I'm going to bed."

"You're not gonna listen?" Eren asked, but the girl just shook her head as she walked out the door.

"Well, let's see what we have here." The Commander leaned down and accepted the piece paper offered to him, coughed and then started to read out loud:

* * *

The first of December: The Lambkin

… perhaps the clock hands had become so tired of going in the same direction  
year after year that they had suddenly begun to go the opposite way instead…

* * *

'Elisabet!' Her mother called after her. 'Come back, Elisabet!'

Elisabet Hansen had been standing staring at the big pile of teddy bears and furry animals while her mother was buying Christmas presents for the cousins who lived at Toten. All of a sudden a little lamb shot out of the pile. It jumped onto the ﬂoor and looked around. It had a bell round its neck, and the bell started to jingle in competition with all the cash registers.

How could a toy suddenly come to life? Elisabet was so surprised that she started to chase the lamb. It was running across the wide ﬂoor of the department store in the direction of the moving staircase.

'Lambkin, lambkin! ' she called after it.

The lamb was already on the staircase, which was moving down to the ﬂoor below. The stairs moved quite quickly, and the lamb sprang even quicker, so that Elisabet had to run faster than the stairs and the lamb together if she was going to catch up with it.

'Come back, Elisabet!' repeated her mother severely.

But Elisabet had already jumped onto the staircase. She could see the lamb running through the ground ﬂoor where they sold underwear and ties.

As soon as she had solid ground beneath her feet again, she went the same way as the lamb. It had managed to bound out onto the street where the snowﬂakes were dancing among the chains of Christmas lights hanging above the street. Elisabet knocked over a stand of winter gloves and followed it.

Out in the noisy street she could barely hear the bell jingling. But Elisabet did not give up. She was determined to stroke the lamb's soft ﬂeece.

'Lambkin, lambkin! '

The lamb sprang across the road against a red light. Perhaps it thought a red man meant 'Go!' and a green man meant 'Stop!'. Elisabet thought she had heard that all sheep were colour blind. At any rate, the lamb didn't stop, so Elisabet couldn't stop either. She was going to catch up with the lamb even if she had to follow it to the ends of the earth.

The cars tooted their horns, and a motorbike had to swerve onto the pavement to avoid colliding with Elisabet or the lamb. The people doing their Christmas shopping all stared. They didn't often see a little girl running across the road after a lamb. In any case, it was strange to be running after a lamb in the middle of winter.

As they ran, Elisabet heard the church clock striking three. She noticed it specially, because she knew she had come to town on the five o'clock bus. Perhaps the hands had become so tired of going in the same direction year after year that they had suddenly begun to go the opposite way instead. Elisabet thought that clocks, too, might get bored with doing the same thing all the time.

But there was something else as well. When Elisabet had gone into the department store, it had been almost completely dark. Now it was suddenly light again, and that was curious, because there had been no night in between.

As soon as the lamb had a chance, it found a road leading out of town, and trotted on towards a small wood. lt sprang onto a path between tall pine trees. Now the lamb had to slow down a little, for the path was covered with all the snow that had been falling during the past few days.

Elisabet went after it. It was difficult for her to run now, too. But the lamb had four legs which were dragging in the snow, while she had only two. Perhaps that would help her to gain on it.

Her mother's cries had been drowned long ago by the noise in the street. Soon she couldn't even hear street sounds. But something was still singing in her ears: 'Shall we buy this one, or both of them? What do you think, Elisabet?'

Perhaps the reason the lamb had come to life and run away from the big store was that it could no longer bear to listen to the cash registers and the talk about buying and selling. And perhaps that was why Elisabet was following it. She had never enjoyed shopping.

* * *

"Is that all?" Connie complained. "It wasn't even a whole story."

"I think it was cute," Krista told him, and Ymir gave a slight nod in agreement.

"Puh, as if." grunting, Connie rolled over to his side on his bunk bed.

"Personally, I found it interesting." Erwin folded the paper and handed it back to Armin. "I know I will come back for the next part."

"Me too" Bertold agreed.

"Puh, I know I won't." Jean rose from Connie's bed and headed for the door. "It was a waste of time."

"Are you going to bed?" Bertolt got on his own feet. "I'm coming tool. It's been a long day." He turned to Reiner. "How about you?"

"Might as well..." The ox of a man got on his feet. "I guess that's it for room 4. Night' all."

"They're probably right." Ymir nodded at the door. "Krista? Mikasa?"

"Yes, I guess you're right" Krista agreed. "I wonder if Sasha is still awake."

"Probably not. It's almost like I can hear her snoring all over here."

Krista couldn't help but giggle. "Oh, Ymir."

"And I should resume the meeting." Erwin sighed. The special operation squad had been called together by the Captain and the Section Leaders. It had to be done, but the last fifteen minutes of storytelling had left the Commander with a peace that he knew would disappear as soon as he returned to the meeting.

"Oh well…" He mumbled as he walked down the stairs. "There's another part tomorrow."

* * *

 **A/N:  
** That's it for now, BUT I would love to hear from you guys:  
What do you think? and what do you espect of it?  
Have you read any of my previous Calendar stories? or any other Calendar stories?

Please leave a review with your thoughts, okay?

 **Please like /follow me if you enjoy my stuff:**  
FaceBook: WinnifredArtemisDub  
Wordpress: WinnifredArtemis  
Player: WinnifredArtemis  
Twitter: WinnyArty  
Pintrest: WinnyArty  
Fanfiction: WinnifredArtemis  
Fictionpress: WinnifredArtemis


	3. 02 - December 2nd

**A/N:  
** Day two of December! Today there's coffee on the meny, so, tell me do you like coffee? What kind?

I hope you liked it, and if you didd, I'd really appriciate a review ;)

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 2ND

* * *

"Brrr~" In bed, Oluo tried to cover himself with the blanket. It was cold, and during his sleep he had pulled it away from his feet. He manage to wrap them in the fabric, but as the minutes passed by, his feet remained frozen.

"Oh, forget it!" Irritated, he threw the blanket aside, and sat up in the bed. Shivering, he grabbed his clothes from underneath the bed and put them on, starting with his thick and 'just slightly fluffy', socks.

He could hear creaks from the bed above him. Gunter was a light sleeper, and he often fought in his sleep. Still, although he had fallen out of the upper bunk several times before, he insisted on having it that way. Oluo sighed. At least he wasn't in any danger of being the landing spot.

An incomprehensible mumble made him look over to the other side. Eld had the tendency to talk in his sleep. Had it been anyone else, Oluo would have been annoyed by this, but the blonde man didn't talk much, so it was mostly in his sleep that one could get to know what was going on in the dutiful man's mind.

Petra, however, had no particular things about her sleeping pattern. When she lay in bed, her golden strawberry hair spread out on the pillow beneath her, like a flower.

Oluo let out a sigh. She just looked so... gone?

He blinked and looked at the bed opposite him again. No, she was definitely not there. It struck him as strange. As members of the special operation squad, all four of them had been staying in the meeting room from they finished dinner until into the early hours. He remembered clearly the tired look on his pretty squad member's face as they went up to bed, and had assumed it would keep her in bed longer than usual.

Yet, she was gone. Oluo didn't worry though. Petra was a big girl, and was sure to take care of herself. "Speaking of," he mumbled to himself as he got to his feet. "There's something else that should be taken care of..."

After visiting the bathroom, Oluo went downstairs and into the kitchen to wet his dry throat.

"So this is where you're hiding."

The girl turned away from the stove and faced him. "Oh, hi. You're up."

"Yeah," Oluo raised his arm and scratched the nape of his neck. "I just couldn't sleep well." His attention caught on the stove. "Is that…? "

"Coffee," Petra sent him a smile that was warm as the hot liquid itself. "It should be done any minute now. You want some?"

"You bet I do." Just the thought of the upcoming treat did its work, and Oluo's mood changed immediately. "So," he said, jumping up to sit on the kitchen bench. "How come you're up?"

"Oh, I don't know… I just didn't feel like going back to sleep." Petra hesitated. It wasn't a lie, but neither was it the entire truth. When she had woken up about an hour ago, her first thought had been to go back to sleep but, noticing the low temperature, she'd changed her mind. Quietly, so as not to disturb her team members, she'd dressed herself and hurried downstairs. It was going to be a long day. Although they had cleaned most of the rooms yesterday, the majority remained: the basement and storage areas. With this much work, she knew the Captain was going to be on his toes.

"Oh." Oluo nodded. "Oh, there we go!"

A thin whistle erupted from the teapot, and Petra hurried over to pull it aside. Grabbing two mugs, she filled them both and-

"You're up. Good morning!"

A grunt was all she got in return, and Petra hurried to offer up one of the mugs.

"Here, Captain. Your coffee."

The captain nodded as he accepted the mug, before walking over to the long table.

"Ehm, Petra?"

"Hm?" Her eyes followed the captain as he fell down on the bench. "Wha- oh! I'm sorry, here." She put the other mug down in front of Oluo and turned back to the stove to pour a new one for herself.

"Go-o-ooo-d moring" Down the stairs and into the kitchen came Reiner and Bertolt, followed by Jean.

"Good morning, Reiner, and you too, Bertolt, Jean." Petra got out more mugs and placed them on the counter. "Coffee?"

"Yes, please." Reiner thanked.

"Oh, and one for me as well. If you would be so kind."

"Yes, of course, Commander. "

"Bring it over to the table. Your own as well. We should get ready for the meeting." He glanced over at the man in the back. "Oluo, you come as well. And," he let his eyes scan the room, "the rest of the team?"

Just as he said that, Gunter and Eld arrived. Grabbing their coffee, effectively emptying the pot, they joined the table.

"Great, we're all here." Erwin announced. Noticing the questioning eyes around him, he added: "Hange and Mike will not be participating in this meeting. They have both been given separate assignments - the same goes for our friend from the Garrison."

Those around the table nodded, happy with the answer. What came out of the Commander's mouth next however...

"What?!" Eren jumped up from his chair. "More cleaning? We spent hours cleaning yesterday. I didn't sign up for this! I wanted to be a survey corps so that I could fight the Ti-"

"Yeah!" Connie joined in, inspired by Eren.

"Shut it, both of you." Levi broke him off. "For once the shitty brat is right." The look the Captain sent Connie was filled with criticism. "I've seen you around the old base… That collection of yours… such filth hidden underneath the bed… and as if that wasn't enough, your ability to clean is nonexistent. You should thank your peers for their diligence."

Taken aback by the sudden shift of temperature in the room, Connie bit his lip before sitting back down.

"Good..." Erwin said as the situation calmed down. "You all know what to do. Get to it, and if the whole house passes the inspection before dinner is served, I will personally see to it that you are rewarded."

* * *

Hours later, as dinner was finally put on the table, the scout regiment was a tired bunch of people. They had been scrubbing at their very best, but only a few of them had gotten a satisfied nod by the Captain. Finally all the rooms were done, and in doing so, most of the soldiers had lost a layer of skin, but it was well worth the effort. The age old dirt had gone with it.

"Armin, that book of yours..." Krista asked as she saw the clever boy gather up documents from the basement, putting them in a box to make room. "Are you going to continue reading it?"

Surprised, Armin looked up at the sweet mannered girl. "The book- oh, yes. Of course." It surprised him that she'd be interested, but it was a pleasant surprise. If Krista liked it, who knew who else might be interested. After last night's reading he felt that he had received mixed feedback. He had planned to continue by himself - though Erwin had expressed interest in following the calendar tradition as well, he'd been unsure if any of the other soldiers would.

"Great, make sure to tell me, okay?"

"I will."

And so he did, and as the evening came closer and it was nearly time for bed, Armin called together those that had shown interest. Commander Erwin and Krista were there, but also a few others joined them around the table. It didn't really surprise him that Ymir had turned up with Krista, but Bertold, Eren and Mikasa were some he hadn't expected.

In addition to this, as she served them tea, Petra caught a glimpse of the calendar. She had heard talk about it - even from before their arrival - but this was the first time she saw it. Intrigued to learn more about it, she sat down beside Ymir, and as she did, Armin began to read:

* * *

The second of December: Ephiriel

… I know of a short cut, and that's the path we're talking now…

* * *

 _Elisabet Hansen didn't know how far nor how long she had run after the lamb, but when she set off through the town it had been snowing heavily. Now it had not only stopped snowing, there was no snow on the path either. Among the trees she could see blue anemones, coltsfoot and windflowers, and that was unusual, because it was very nearly Christmas._

 _She picked an anemone and looked at the blue petals carefully. Picking ﬂowers at this time of year was every bit as mysterious as throwing snowballs at Midsummer._

 _It occurred to Elisabet that perhaps she had run so far that she had reached a country where it was summer all the year round. If not, she must have run for so long that spring and the warm weather had arrived already. In that case, she might still be in Norway, but then, what would have happened to Christmas?_

 _While she stood wondering she heard the tinkle of a bell in the distance. Elisabet started running again and soon caught sight of the lamb. It had found a small grassy bank and was grazing on it greedily. The little creature had probably been very hungry. It had not had any grass to eat as long as it was winter. It had certainly not had a morsel of food as long as it had been a toy either, and that may have been for a very long time._

 _Elisabet crept up towards the lamb, but just as she was about to pounce on it in order to stroke it, it sprang away again._

 _'Lambkin, lambkin! '_

 _Elisabet tried to keep up with it, but she tripped over a pine root and fell ﬂat on the ground._

 _The worst of it was that she realised she was unlikely ever to catch up with the lamb. She had decided to follow it to the ends of the earth, but the earth was round, after all, so they might go on running round the world for ever, or at any rate until she grew up, and by then she might have lost interest in such things as lambs._

 _When she looked up she caught sight of a shining figure between the trees. Elisabet looked, wide-eyed, for it was neither an animal nor a human being. A pair of wings were sticking out of a robe as white as the lamb._

 _Elisabet had only just managed to get to know the world. She had learned what all the commonest animals were called, but she didn't know the difference between a tomtit and a yellowhammer. Nor between a camel and a dromedary, come to think of it. All the same, there was no mistaking what she was looking at now. Elisabet realised at once that the shining figure must be an angel. She had seen angels in books and pictures, but it was the first time she had seen one in real life._

 _'Fear not!' said die angel in a gentle voice._

 _Elisabet raised herself halfway up._

 _'You needn't think I'm afraid of you,' she replied, a little sulkily because she had fallen and hurt herself._

 _The angel came closer. It looked as if he was hovering just above the ground. It reminded Elisabet of her cousin Anna who could dance on the tips of her toes. The angel knelt down and stroked her gently on the nape of her neck with the tip of one of his wings._

 _'I said, "Fear not", to be on the safe side,' he said. 'We don't appear to humans very often, so it's best to be careful when we do. Usually people are frightened when they're visited by an angel.'_

 _Suddenly Elisabet began to cry, not because she was afraid of angels, and not because she had hurt herself either. She didn't understand why she was crying until she heard herself sob, 'I wanted to stroke the lamb.'_

 _The angel nodded gracefully. 'I'm sure God wouldn't have created the lambs with such soft ﬂeece unless He hoped someone would want to stroke it.'_

 _'The lamb runs much faster than I do,' sobbed Elisabet, again, 'and it has twice as many legs too. Isn't that unfair? I can't see why a little lambkin should be in such a hurry.'_

 _The angel helped her to her feet and said confidentially, 'It's going to Bethlehem.'_

 _Elisabet had stopped crying. 'To Bethlehem?'_

 _'Yes. To Bethlehem, to Bethlehem! For that's where Jesus was born.'_

 _Elisabet was very surprised at what the angel said. In an attempt to hide her astonishment she began to brush soil and grass off her trousers. There were some nasty stains on her red jacket too._

 _'Then I want to go to Bethlehem,' she said._

 _The angel was dancing on the tips of his toes again on the path._

 _'That suits me,' he said, hovering above the ground. 'l'm going there too. So we might just as well keep each other company, all three of us.'_

 _Elisabet had learned that she should never go anywhere with people she didn't know. That certainly applied to angels as well. So she looked up at the angel and asked, 'What's your name?'_

 _Elisabet had thought the angel was a man, but she wasn't quite sure. Now he curtseyed like a ballet dancer and said, 'My name is Ephiriel.'_

 _'That sounds like a butterﬂy. Did you really say Ephiriel?'_

 _'Just Ephiriel, yes. Angels have no mother or father, so we have no family name either.'_

 _Elisabet sniffed for the last time. Then she said, 'I don't think we have time to talk any more if we're going all the way to Bethlehem. Isn't it a long way?'_

 _'Yes indeed, it's very far — and a very long time ago. But I know of a short cut, and that's the path we're taking now.'_

 _And with that they began to run. First the lamb, then Elisabet. The angel Ephiriel danced behind them._

 _As they ran, Elisabet felt sorry she hadn't asked the angel why it had suddenly become summer. But when she caught a glimpse of the lamb on the path in front of her, she didn't dare stop._

 _'Lambkin, lambkin! '_

* * *

"And that's it for today." Armin said as he returned the folded piece to it's window.

"This is going to be a hard thing to do," a tortured smile played on the lips of the Commander. "Having to wait a whole day between all of them - it's not gonna be easy."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll be able to wait. The wait might even make the experience better." Petra comforted, offering up another cup of tea.

"- if you don't die in the meantime, that is."

"Oluo!" Petra scolded her teammate. "Don't say that!"

"It's true though," he pressed on. "If you die - no more storytelling by uncle Armin."

Quickly, before they could comprehend what was going on, the girl had grabbed hold of a spruce tree twig. Earlier this day, she had collected a couple of them while sweeping the outside, but now it look as if Petra was going to hit her tall friend with it.

"Petra, I d-" Oluo began, but his defensive stand changed just as sudden. "Huh?"

"I'm just taking it outside, dummy." she teased, "Have you never had a doormat of spruce twigs before?"

With that, she sauntered out, leaving Oluo gaping in awe.

* * *

 **A/N:  
** Don't forget to tell me about coffee, okay?  
I really wanna know^^

Oh, and please leave a review with your thoughts, okay?

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	4. 03 - December 3rd

**A/N:  
** It's the third day of December, and today's chapter is a little different.  
Also, it's also a chapter that is special to me in another way.

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 3RD

* * *

The weather was getting colder - there was no question about it. When she had gone to bed the previous evening, Krista had felt colder than she usually did, and waking up, she understood why. It had been fall when they had left the safety of the walls, they had known that the temperature would go down by each day, and that they eventually would have snow falling down upon them - but that wasn't supposed to happen for another month.

Krista let out a sigh, creating a foggy rose on the glass, as she looked out the window of her room, and down on the ground. It wasn't much, but a thin layer of white had covered the ground. The sight of the pure, white snow, lured out a tear in the young girl's eye. It was so beautiful, yet… The snowfall would make their life harder, as well as make them burn through their provisions faster.

Missions would be harder as well. Although there had been research hinting towards the Titans having difficulty moving in snowy terrian, the same could be said of the humans. Afoot, the snow would make it heavier to move around, and their speed would be reduced drastically. If this wasn't bad enough, the snow created several problems for three dimensional maneuver gear as well. Snow and cold meant ice, and the frozen water made buildings, trees, anything, more resistant to the piston-shot grapple-hooks, making it less likely for them to catch, and fall to the ground. And, on top of that, the snow itself could be blinding, both when flying through the air, obscuring the world, and on the ground, reflecting the sunlight like a million daggers of light.

Still, even with all this in mind, Krista couldn't help but love the sight in front of her. So beautiful… yet cruel. It was just as the world itself. All the beauty of life and joy, of family and friends… It was all surrounded in a tight net of cruelty… and death.

"Krista?"

A hand pressed gently on her shoulder, and Krista turned to look at her friend. "Ymir..."

"Are you okay?" The tall, tan woman asked, leaning over to give Krista a hug from behind.

The blond goddess gave a slight nod.

"That's good." Ymir gave her a quick squeeze. "Erwin sent me. He's taking new precautions because of the weather. We're all gathering outside the main entrance."

"Okay. I'll be down in 5 minutes."

Ymir gave her cheek a gentle kiss, then left the room, leaving the young girl to her dressing.

Krista's gaze returned to the snow outside. It would make their life more difficult. But, the smallest of smiles spread across her lips, looking at the snow; it sure brought back memories. Some from her childhood, but most of all, of the snowy day she had met Ymir.

As the memories of that fated meeting played through her mind, Krista put on her uniform and grabbed the thick, green, woolen cloak. She opened the door and headed for the stairs down to the common room.

"Kris- Oh-ooh!"

Out from nowhere, something heavy hit her hard in the side. The girl staggered, but the impact had been too hard, and the gravity took its toll, sending the girl tumbling down the stairs.

"Are you okay?"

Halfway down the steps, the fall came to a sudden stop. Krista's body may have continued down but for the sudden collision with something firm.

"Krista! Idiot! Watch where the hell you're going!"

"Is she okay?"

"Of course she's not-"

"I'm fine." Krista protested as she tried to calm down Reiner, "Thank you for grabbing me in time."

"It's nothing," the ox of a man ensured her, his cheeks gaining the slightest hint of red as he met her eyes. Then, making sure that she had her balance, he let go of her.

"Aaa!"

"You're not fine!"

Before she could say anything in protest, Reiner used his strong arms to pick the short girl up, then he walked back up the stairs and into her room. Here, after confirming which was hers, he placed her on the bed. As he did, they could hear heavy boots running up the stairs.

"What was that noise? Is everyone alright?" Rico hurried into the room.

"I think she's injured." Reiner replied, nodding towards the bed.

"No, really, I'm fine-"

"Leave that conclusion to me, soldier." Rico firmly cut in.

The elite soldier went over and checked Krista for any injury, and it didn't take long before she found something.

"A sprained ankle." she told Krista. "It's not looking too bad, but you should still stay in bed for today. Try to get some rest and not put weight on it. Okay?"

Krista had no choice but to do as she was told. She was put back in bed, and when that was done, they left her by herself.

"I hope you have a plan to make it up to her," Reiner growled as he passed by Eren - whom Reiner had refused entry to the girls' room to.

Eren nodded. "I'll do my best." he promised. "I should have been more careful."

"Try telling Ymir that."

The thought of Ymir's reaction made Eren go pale. Although the tall girl wasn't too scary to be around, he had clearly seen something in her eyes that reminded him of Mikasa. If what he had seen was true… Well, he knew how Mikasa would have reacted if it was him that had been pushed down a set of stairs. He hoped not, but still couldn't help but feel that it was going to be a bad day.

Eren had been right to worry. As the news of Krista's injury spread, many a judgemental glare was sent in his direction. Krista was the most popular member of the 104th Training Corps, and the fact that Eren wasn't the most careful of persons made the situation even worse.

"They're right," Mikasa told him as she helped him pick up the chopped wood. "You should have been more careful. You have always been-"

"I know, I know!" Eren lashed out, dropping the wood he held down on the snowy ground.

"Eren..."

The poisonous voice of Captain Levi made him freeze at the spot. This couldn't be good. And neither was it. Seeing Eren drop the wood - that the captain himself had made sure had the best possible quality and dryness for being used in the fireplace, Levi had decided to teach the respectless soldier a lesson.

"Come on!" The stern side of Gunter Schultz came to the surface as he watched Eren Yeager. Although he was a kind man, with nothing but great understanding for those around him, he did not take kindly to a soldier losing focus on the task at hand. "Just do it!"

* * *

Eren had feared a beating by the Captain, but that might have been preferable to the chore he'd been given. Everything smelled like shit - literary.

The toilets were not like the ones he had been used to at home, but made in the same fashion as in old castles. The idea was that the droppings would fall down through a built-in chute, and then, as it reached the ground level, would land on a carriage that later would be taken away and emptied elsewhere.

However, as they had just moved in, there had been many things to do, and someone - no one wanted to admit guilt - had managed to move the carriage out of range for the chute. This had resulted in splashings on the ground, and the lucky winner of the job to relocate these little accidents back onto the carriage had been Eren.

"This is a shitty job!" Eren complained.

"You can say that for sure," Gunter grinned as he looked over his shoulder at the miserable sight. "But hurry up and be done with it. I wanna go inside."

Once he finally returned inside, Eren himself could smell his own stench, and he hurried over to the bathroom to rinse his body and clothes of the smell. As he walked out in the hallway after dressing in a new set of clothing, he ran into Armin.

"Oh, there you are," his friend greeted. "Are you going to join the reading tonight?"

"Well, yeah."

"Great!" Armin exclaimed. "I'm headed for Krista's room - we figured it would be best to gather there today."

Eren nodded. It made sense to have the girl move as little as possible. Besides, he thought to himself, this would give him an opportunity to apologize to her about what had happened that morning.

He did, and in addition to forgiving him, Krista asked if Eren if he'd like to be the one to read the next chapter. Not feeling he could deny her request, Eren accepted the piece of paper and read:

* * *

The third of December: The second sheep  
… like running before the wind - or like rushing down a moving staircase…

* * *

Elisabet and the angel Ephiriel ran on after the lamb. Soon they had left the wood behind and were going down a narrow country lane. In the distance thick smoke was rising from some tall factory chimneys.

'There's a town,' said Elisabet.

'That's Halden,' explained the angel. 'We're quite close to Sweden.'

Suddenly they heard a clatter right behind them. Elisabet turned and saw an old car driving towards them. Driving the car was a man with a hat and coat and a black beard who looked a bit like the picture of Great-grandpa on the mantelpiece at home. As he passed, the man sounded the horn and doffed his hat.

'That car must be terribly old!' exclaimed Elisabet.

'On the contrary, I think it was probably brand new,' said Ephiriel.

'I always thought angels were much cleverer than humans. But you don't seem to know much about cars,' said Elisabet, sighing in frustration. But she didn't want to argue with the angel, so she went on, 'But I suppose you don't drive cars in heaven. I expect God has forbidden any kind of pollution.'

Ephiriel tried to hide a laugh. He pointed to a pile of logs.

'Sit down here,' he said. 'You deserve a short rest, and there's something important I have to tell you about our journey to Bethlehem.'

Elisabet sat down and looked at the angel.

'Don't you get tired too?' she asked.

The angel shook his head. 'No, angels don't get tired. We're not made of ﬂesh and blood. It's ﬂesh and blood that get tired.'

Elisabet felt a bit embarrassed. Of course angels didn't get tired! If they did, they wouldn't have the strength to ﬂy up and down between heaven and earth.

'Now can you tell me exactly where we are going, my dear?' asked the angel.

'To Bethlehem,' replied Elisabet.

'And what are we going to do there?'

"We're going to stroke the lamb I suppose."

The angel nodded. "And we'll also welcome the baby Jesus into the world. He was called God's lamb, because He was just as kind and innocent as the little lamb's fleece is soft. We have to travel two thousand years backwards in time to the moment when Jesus was born."

Elisabet put her hand to her mouth. "But isn't it impossible to travel backwards in time?" she asked.

"Not at all," said Ephlriel. "Nothing is impossible for God, and i am here as God's messenger. We have a small part of the journey behind us already. Down there you see Halden, and we have arrived back at the beginning of the twentieth century. Do you understand?"

"I think so," said Elisabet. "And that means the car wasn't old after all."

"No. It may have been brand new. I'm sure you noticed how proud the driver was when he sounded his horn. Not very many people owned cars then.

Elisabet simply sat and stared, and Ephiriel continued.

"Since you began running after the lamb, more than ﬁfty years have gone by. We are running to Bethlehem through time, going downhill through history on a diagonal line. It's like running before the wind, or rushing down a moving staircase.

Elisabet nodded. She wasn't sure she understood everything the angel was saying, but she knew how clever it all was.

"How do you know we're at the beginning of the twentieth century?"

The angel raised his arm and pointed at a gold watch on his wrist, decorated with a row of shining pearls. On its face it said 1916.

"It's an angel watch," he explained. "It isn't quite as accurate as other watches, but in heaven we're not too particular about all the hours and minutes.

"Why not?"

"We have the whole of eternity to see to," replied the angel. "And anyway, we never have to catch a bus to get to work on time."

Now Elisabet understood why the church clock had only struck three even though it had been six or seven o'clock when she ran from the shop, and why the snow had disappeared and it had suddenly become summer. She had run backwards in time.

"You began running along the diagonal path as soon as you started chasing the lamb," continued the angel Ephiriel. "That's when the long journey through time and space began."

Another car approached them from the opposite direction, leaving a cloud of dust and sand behind that made Elisabet cough. When the dust cloud had settled, she pointed up at the road.

"There's our lamb again. But look - now there's a grown sheep as well!"

The angel nodded.

"Verily I say unto you, that sheep is going to Bethlehem too."

With that they began to run. When Elisabet and Ephiriel had caught up with the lamb and the sheep, both of them bounded on as well.

"Lambkin, lambkin!" coaxed Elisabet.

But the lamb and the sheep would not be coaxed into standing still. They were going to Bethlehem, to Bethlehem!

They passed the outskirts of Halden and paused for a moment to look down at all the people walking in the streets and the market. The ladies were wearing long, colourful cotton dresses and large hats in different colours. Several cars were sputtering along the streets, but there were horses and carriages as well.

They left it behind them and soon came to a frontier station. A large signboard announced: 'Frontier. .'

Elisabet was brought up short.

"Do you think we'll be allowed to go into Sweden?"

The angel ﬂuttered around her like an overgrown butterﬂy.

"They won't dare to stop a pilgrimage," he replied. "Besides, it's only a few weeks since Norway had the same king as Sweden."

"May I look at your angel watch again?"

Ephiriel stretched out his arm. The watch said 1905.

Then they sped past two frontier guards, the lamb and the sheep first and Elisabet and the angel Ephiriel just behind them.

"Halt!" shouted the frontier guards. "In the name of the law!"

But they were already far into Sweden. And they had come a few years closer to the birth of Jesus.

* * *

"That's even more unrealistic than the last I heard of it."

The group had been listening intently to the reading, and had not noticed Jean Kirstein coming by; stopping to listen as he leaned against the frame of the door.

"Nothing like that exists. If it had, the gods would certainly send us one of these angels." He let out a snort. "That would have been great, huh? Going back to the beginning of titans and slaughtering them all once and for all."

The room was left in silence. What was one supposed to say to something like that? That it was real? That it was a hope for humanity; to go back and take care of the Titan problem? No, they all knew that what they read was nothing but a story, an unrealistic world.

"It's not to be mean," Jean continued as he saw the mopey faces surrounding him. "I just don't want you to get your hopes up. It's not real."

"We know that..." The words were spoken so quietly that the group barely heard what Krista said "It's just nice to have hope."

"Hope? Really?" Jean snorted. "For what? For your friends and family to come back to life? Eren," he turned and looked at his squad mate. "Will this bring Marco back? Or you mom?"

Eren stared blindly at the wall.

"You need to go now. It's late. Krista needs her sleep."

Everyone in the room turned to look at Ymir. Then, seeing the look in her eyes, they got up, and after saying their good nights, they left the room. Mikasa, although she shared the room, went outside, following Eren and Armin.

"Are you okay?" Ymir asked as they were finally alone.

The blond girl gave a nod, but Ymir could see that there was no heart in it. Still, she had known Krista long enough to understand that there was nothing she could do right now. So, instead of pressing on or trying to comfort her, Ymir crawled up to her bunk bed and closed her eyes.

An hour later, Mikasa returned to the room. She had talked with Eren, but soon they were going to bed, and she had headed downstairs. As she expected, she had found Sasha sitting in the kitchen. She had joined Sasha in her discussion with Connie and Mike, about the meal plans, and when the rest of them went to their rooms, Mikasa and Sasha did as well.

Careful not to wake anyone, the two girls snuck into the room. Mikasa went straight to her bed and hoised herself up. Sasha, however, took her time and as she passed by Krista's bed, she noticed something. Curious, the Dauper girl bent down to take a look.

 _How can anybody live in a world that's so cruel and beautiful?_  
 _Always asking why we're really here_  
 _Losing all of our control to our fears_  
 _Some of us are strong, some of us are weak, but still we seek..._  
 _For a new day that can offer more_  
 _Do we really know the world we're fighting for? ***_

Tears appeared in Sasha's eyes as she read it, and she had to fight to keep herself from sobbing. Instead, she put the paper back down, before crawling into her own bed.

* * *

 ***** Disclaimer:  
** These are the english, fanmade lyrics for "Beautiful Cruel World" made by Adrisaurus.  
The original version by Yoko Hikasa is the first ending of Attack of Titan: "Utsukushiki Zankoku na Sekai".  
If you like the lyrics, make sure to pay tribute to the creator - you can find it on YouTube.

 **A/N:  
** So that's it for today. I hope you like it, and that you'll tell me your thoughts on this chapter.  
Also, tell me which country your from, okay?

 **Please like /follow me if you enjoy my stuff:**  
FaceBook: WinnifredArtemisDub  
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	5. 04 - December 4th

**A/N:  
** December has gotten in under my skin - and now it's already the fourth of December!  
It's starting to get colder as well - not only with our friends outside the walls, but also here in Norway^^

But yeah, enjoy the chapter, and remember to leave a review at the end - as well as your answer to my daily question^^

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 4TH

* * *

"Look what I found!"

Descending the stains, stomping like an animal, came Connie. He skipped the last few steps, choosing to leap instead, making the red thing draped over his arm flutter.

"What _is_ that?"

"I'm glad you asked, Oluo." Connie grinned, holding out his arm to let those present in the kitchen have a better look at it. "It's mine, that's what it is."

The object was red. Not just the usual red they used in the military emblem or in Mikasa's scarf. No, this was another kind of red. Upon taking a closer look at the intense color, they realized it was a garment.

"Where did you get that?" Oluo choked out.

"It was in the loft above my room." Connie explained. "So, what do you think? Cool, right?"

"Well," The older soldier looked at him with doubt, then a wry smile spread across his face. "Why don't you try it on?"

His eyes lit up for a brief second, and he might have put it on right then, hadn't it been for a loud noise.

"A-ACHO!"

"Oh geez, Bertolt." Jean complained, startled by the sudden sneeze.

"Are you okay?" Sasha went over to him.

"Yeah…" Bertolt Hoover reassured them, crawling even closer to the flames and warmth in the fireplace. "It's just a bit cold, that's all."

It was an interesting sight. The tallest member of the squad had crawled into something that looked more like a ball than a man, trying to keep as much as possible of his body heat to himself.

"Here," Sasha pushed herself over to her teammate. "I might not be a blanket, but," and, to Bertolt's surprise, she put her arms around him. "It should give you some warmth."

Seeing her action, Petra moved over to his other side and, although she did not hug him, leaned against him. Soon others joined them as well, and, as Armin came down the stairs to ask if anyone wanted to join him in reading the new chapter of the book, they were all sitting close together, in one tight lump of a group.

Armin, a secret lover of all things cozy, found his place between Petra and Gunter. And, once wiggled into the right position, he began to read:

* * *

 _The fourth of December: Joshua_

 _… he had scarcely had time to look surprised …_

* * *

 _Elisabet and the angel Ephiriel hurried after the sheep and the lamb. They passed a red log cabin and a few patches of crops in a clearing in the woods. From a rise Ephiriel pointed down at a lake._

 _'That's the biggest lake in Scandinavia,' he said. 'The watch shows that 1891 years have passed since Jesus was born, but we've only just arrived in Sweden.'_

 _A strongly-ﬂowing river ran out of the lake. A bridge arched over the river, and they walked over it to the other side._

 _'This is the River Gota,' said Ephiriel. 'We'll follow an old cart track along the river bank.'_

 _'Lambkin, lambkin!' coaxed Elisabet, but the sheep and the lamb had already begun running again._

 _They passed a village, and saw people streaming along the road towards a red-painted church. Most of them were on foot, but some of them were sitting in big, horse-drawn carts. The men were dressed in black suits and black hats, and many of the women were in black as well. Some of them were carrying hymn books._

 _'It must be Sunday,' said Elisabet._

 _They paused for a moment and looked down at all the people. Suddenly a little boy noticed them, but he scarcely had time to look surprised, because at that same moment the angel Ephiriel began running again. Elisabet had to hurry to keep up. Once she turned and looked back, but all the people in front of the church had vanished. The horses and carts had vanished too._

 _When they had left the village behind, Elisabet turned to the angel and said, 'A little boy saw us, but nobody else noticed.'_

 _'Splendid. We try not to attract too much attention. Sometimes we can't help someone catching sight of us, but a glimpse is quite enough._

 _They ran on through woods and fields. Now and again they saw some people haymaking or reaping corn with scythes. Sometimes they had to take a roundabout way so as not to scare them._

 _Before long the sheep and the lamb found pasture that was so green and tempting that it dazzled the eyes._

 _'Now's our chance,' whispered Elisabet, 'if we go up to them carefully.'_

 _But just then a man came walking towards them, wearing a blue tunic and holding a tall staff curved at the top. He said solemnly, 'Peace be with you who walk on the narrow way along the Gota River. My name is Joshua the shepherd.'_

 _'Then you are one of us,' said Ephiriel._

 _Elisabet didn't understand what the angel meant by that, but then the shepherd said, 'I am coming with you to the Holy Land, for I must be in the fields when the angels announce the glad tidings of the birth of Jesus.'_

 _Then Elisabet had a bright idea._

 _'If you are a proper shepherd, perhaps you can herd the lamb in this direction.'_

 _The shepherd bowed low. 'That's not difficult for a good shepherd.'_

 _He went over to the sheep and the lamb, and the next moment the lamb was kneeling at Elisabet's feet. She knelt down and stroked its soft fleece._

 _'I think you must be the fastest furry animal in the world,' she said, 'but I caught you at last!'_

 _The shepherd thumped his crook on the ground and said, 'To Bethlehem, to Bethlehem!'_

 _The lamb and the sheep bounded away, the shepherd, the angel and Elisabet after them._

 _As they ran, they looked down on a cluster of red timber houses that Ephiriel explained was a town called Kungälv._

 _'That means 'King's River' and the town was given that name because the Scandinavian kings used to meet here to take counsel together. One of them was Sigurd Jorsalfar,' said the angel. ''Jorsalfar' means the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and Sigurd was given that name because he had been on a pilgrimage to the Holy land where Jesus was born.'_

 _Then they ran past a city at the mouth of the Göta River, where women in long dresses and men wearing hats and carrying walking walking sticks were parading up and down the streets, sitting in fine coaches drawn by two horses._

 _'That's Gothenburg,' said Ephiriel. 'The time is 1814, and Denmark has had to hand over Norway to Sweden. Now Norway will get her own Constitution.'_

 _Joshua the shepherd turned and waved to them._

 _"To Bethlehem!" he called. "To Bethlehem!"_

 _They sped on through Sweden._

* * *

Not a second had passed from Armin closed the book, 'til another loud sneeze was heard.

"Was that a sneeze I heard?" Eld Jinn walked through the front door, a tiny mountain of snow on top of his beanie. "Don't tell me we have a flu on our hands."

"No, I don't think so," Petra said, putting a hand on Bertolts forehead. "He's not running a fever… I think it's just his cold feet."

"Oh yeah," Oluo grinned. "And why is that?"

Without a word, Petra sent a sharp kick his direction. Then, returning with a smile on her face, she continued to explain the situation.

"I see… Then we should probably..." Eld mumbled; quietly, as if talking only to himself. "Yes," he spoke up, and then, turning towards Connie, he begun instructing: "Connie, go to my room. In the corner by the door you will find a black bag. Bring it down here."

The younger boy turned and headed up the stairs; jumping two steps at the time. It barely took a minute before Connie handed Eld a bag.

"What is that?" Sasha leaned forward to better get a look at the bag. "Is it food?"

Petra's eyes lit up. "I see. That's a great idea!"

"I thought you'd think that." From the bag, Eld pulled up set sticks, followed by a ball of something that looked like…

"...yarn?"

"That's right, Eren." Eld confirmed, his voice suddenly turning into something more like a teacher's tone than a high ranked soldier's. "We're to knit some socks."

"Oh, you didn't have to do that, not really." Bertold protested, but was cut off by Gunter.

"It's not only for you. If you end up sick, who knows how many of us will be infected. Think of that. We are soldiers; we're here on a duty to protect the human race. How are we supposed to do that, soldier, if we are all lying in bed with your flu?"

Not knowing what to say to something like that, Bertolt looked away in shame.

"Oh, come on. It's not like your cold feet will kill us." Petra confronted the recruit. "You could gain from loosening up a bit, Gunter. You really don't have to be so tense about it."

"Yes, yes," sensing a quarrel, Eld hurried between the two, holding up balls of yarn. "So, who knows how to knit?"

"I can knit." Petra announced.

"Me too."

"And I."

"You?" Eren looked at his childhood friends in surprise. He was surprised that Mikasa could knit; in all the time that they had lived together, he had never seen her do any needlework nor knitting. Still, it wasn't too strange when he thought about it. Although he had gotten used to Mikasa in her soldier state, she was still a girl. Armin, on the other hand…

The headstrong boy didn't get to ask about it, though. Already, the members of the special operations squad had started handing out yarn and knitting needles. The few who knew what to do, started right away, while the rest looked down at their hands with question marks clearly written on their faces.

"Here," Eld leaned down beside Bertolt, giving him a smile of encouragement. "I'll help you out."

Eventually, as they begun to get the hang of it, some decided to go beyond the basic socks. They already had several pairs of woolen socks, but they could use new scarves, beanies, and even sweaters. Petra, who had made a habit always to have enough warm clothes ready, in case of a sudden change of temperature, had even began on something Armin had described as a 'Christmas Stocking'.

Mikasa had began a project of her own as well. Or rather, it was a project of Eren's. On his previous training, he had managed to get a rift in his shirt, and Mikasa had volunteered to fix it. It hadn't been easy, but finally Mikasa succeeded. However, the girl hadn't stopped there. She'd continued working on the shirt, and now it was time to give it back to Eren.

"Here," she told him as she held up the shirt for him to see. "It should be okay now."

"Ah, thanks, Mika- What is that?!" Eren grabbed the shirt and inspected the upper left side. And there, in letters of a bold red color, he could read: ' Eren '. "Why did you do that?" he complained, feeling the tread with his finger as if looking for an easy way to remove it. "I don't need this silly thing. All I wanted was for you to fix it. If you have time to spare, do something else."

Before she could respond, he showed the shirt back in her hands and stomped out through the front door. With tears appearing in her eyes, she looked through the windows, following him with her gaze as he headed towards the stables.

"Wow, Mikasa. You're really good!"

Letting Eren out of her sight, Mikasa turned back to the room. "Thank you."

"It's not just something I say," Sasha insisted as she saw the sad look on her friend's face, "It's really well made! Right, Jean?"

"Hmm?" Jean, who had just passed by on his way to get more yarn - after tangling up his previous one in a hopeless attempt at a beanie, got dragged aside by the food-addict. "Hey, Sasha?! You don't have to pull me so hard."

"See here," Sasha continued, "Isn't this some of the best you've ever seen?"

Irritated at the way Sasha was handling him, Jean sighed before leaning down to look at the shirt nestled in Mikasa's lap. Looking at the detailing of it, it was very well-. A sharp pain pierced through his heart as he looked up from the details and at the pattern as a whole: ' Eren '.

"Yeah.." It was all he could do to pronounce the words. He had been painfully aware that that Mikasa held strong feelings for the idiot, but it still hurt to see it in physical form like this. "You did a really good job. Lucky Eren."

"Yeah, he's really lucky to have someone like you, Mikasa. Speaking of," Sasha reached out and held up one end of the characteristic, red scarf around the caucasian girl's neck. "This scarf… You haven't considered making a new one? How long have you had it?"

Avoiding their eyes, Mikasa looked away. "It was a present."

She didn't say more, and Sasha disappeared as sudden as she had appeared. Jean lingered a moment. For some reason, Mikasa's words made him uneasy. A present? From whom? Her parents? He knew they had passed away, and that was why she had lived with the Yeager family. It had to be them. Maybe her mother. Who else could it be? At least it couldn't be from Eren, he told himself as he left the group, heading up for an early night. The mutt wasn't the type to do something like that.

* * *

 **A/N:  
** That's it for today. So, my question for you guys is this:  
Do you guys knit? What do you knit? Or can you even knit?

Please leave a review with your thoughts, okay?

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	6. 05 - December 5th

**A/N:  
** The past is something that will alway be there. You cannot change it, and all you can do it get past it.  
Christmas is about family; the happy time, but a sad one as well.

Pleace leave a review after finishing the chapter - it means so much to me.

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 5TH

* * *

Commander Erwin woke up early in the morning. It had been snowing when he had gone to bed and, by the looks of things, it had continued to fall heavily all through the night.

He let out a sigh.

"The snow?" a voice asked from beneath a heavy fur skin.

"Unfortunately." Erwin nodded, his eyebrows forming a strict line across his forehead. "Doesn't seem I have much choice now..."

From his bed, Levi closed his eyes again. Although he was considered humanity's strongest soldier, the man had one weakness - the cold. It was something he had done his best to hide, but whenever the temperature dropped, the captain had troubles leaving the bed. Of course, if there was ever a situation that would force him out of bed, he would leave, but, on days where there was no special need for him, Levi chose to take the day off and stay underneath a pile of warm fur.

He wanted to go back to sleep; to slip into the peaceful quiet of warmth and comfort. However, now that was impossible. From the moment he'd opened his eyes, the cold had slowly crawled closer to him, and had now turned his toes to ice cubes - or so it felt like. Feeling like this, there was no way he could fall back into the safe arms of his dream.

It was such a shame. On normal days, the captain rarely let himself sleep for more than 2-3 hours at a time, making sure to find times during the day for short naps. On days like these, however, Levi could let himself sleep. Although he knew - after the countless voiced concerns from Hange - that there was no such thing as 'catching up with sleep'. That said, Levi trusted his own feelings, more than those of the scientist… at least when it came to his body.

Giving up on the hope of sleep, Levi forced himself out of bed. As soon as his feet met the floor, the slow process of freezing to little taps of ice began, but Levi ignored it. Looking through the window, he could see several of the new recruits moving around. Some were carrying spades, some buckets, and some… was that really a broom?

The captain couldn't help but feel sad at the sight. Although the order to remove snow and clean up the area might not sound like fun, he would have liked to be able to join them. For a second he considered taking on his clothes and joining them, but he shook the idea at once. If he went outside, there was a chance they might catch onto his secret, and Levi was not ready for that. Although it wasn't a serious illness, the captain had always felt that he should maintain himself and his men. So, the only people that knew of his situation was Commander Erwin Smith, Hange Zoë, as well as his own second-in-command, Eld Jinn.

"Watching them, are we?"

"I'm just making sure they do a good job." Levi frowned. "So far they haven't impressed me much."

Erwin couldn't help but laugh; he had never seen anyone who fully lived up to the high standards of his captain.

"So, what did they say?"

"Nothing to my face," Erwin replied with a hint of a smile on his face. "To each other, though..."

Levi nodded with understanding. It made sense. Even without his sensitivity to the cold, the outside was still somewhere one wouldn't like to spend more time than necessary.

"Anyway," Erwin cut off his subordinate's chain of thought. "I thought you might like this."

Accepting the piece of paper offered to him, Levi sent Erwin a puzzled look.

"Read it," The Commander told him. "The others read it before they went outside. You might like to try it."

Levi doubted that. He wasn't too fond of stories, and from what he had heard from those that had read it, it didn't seem like anything he'd be interested in. That said, he told himself, there weren't too many things to do while lying in bed. So, as the Commander left the room to join the group, Levi unfolded the piece of paper and began to read:

* * *

The fifth of December: The third sheep

… it's a very unusual way of travelling …

* * *

 _Elisabet, the lamb, the angel, the sheep, and the shepherd sped through Sweden along dirt roads and grassy cart tracks, between yellow fields and through dense forests until they looked out over a little town by the sea. The wind was blowing in from the sea so strongly that the waves were breaking over the edge of the quay. Far out on the sea there was a sailing ship with three tall masts. At the edge of the town stood a large castle._

 _"We are in Halland,"said the angel Ephiriel. "The town is called Halmstad and the waves are rolling in from Kattegat. The watch says that 1789 years have passed since Jesus was born."_

 _"Are we still in Sweden?" asked Elisabet._

 _Ephiriel nodded. "But not so very long ago it was part of Denmark."_

 _Joshua the shepherd said they should hurry on, and they crossed a landscape that became flatter and flatter the further south they came. Between grazing land and enclosed pastures, the countryside revealed small villages, each with a little church and a few houses._

 _They were rushing through dense woodland when Joshua stopped and knelt under a birch tree. He had found a sheep caught in a snare._

 _"The snare was probably set for a hare or a fox," he said, loosening a cord from the sheep's leg. "But now the sheep can come with us to Bethlehem."_

 _"It's one of us too," said Ephiriel._

 _And the sheep seemed to answer. "Meh!" it bleated, "Me-e-eh."_

 _Off they went again: the lamb and the two sheep first, the shepherd behind them, Elisabet and Ephiriel last._

 _They entered a town and stopped in front of an old church with two tall towers above the entrance._

 _The angel told them that they were in Scania, that the town was called Lund and that the big church was an ancient cathedral. He looked at his angel-watch and said, "The watch says 1745. That proud cathedral has stood here for centuries. Churches and cathedrals have been built all over the world, and it all started with the Christ-child who was born in Bethlehem. It's as if a tiny seed of corn is put into the ground and grows into a whole field. The glory of heaven is dispersed very easily."_

 _Elisabet wondered about what the angel had said._

 _"Can we go in?" she asked._

 _The angel nodded, and they went into the great church: the sheep first, the shepherd next, and Elisabet after the shepherd._

 _Inside was the most beautiful sound Elisabet had ever heard. From the great organ there swelled such rich and powerful melodies that tears came to her eyes._

 _When the angel saw it, he said, "Yes, weep, my child. That wonderful music was composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. He is alive in Germany at this time, and his music will be heard throughout Europe. That's not surprising, for his music is like a tiny shed of the glory of heaven."_

 _The only things that disturbed the music were two sheep bleating and a lamb scurrying about so that its little bell was tinkling._

 _A man in a black robe came towards them from the chancel. It was the priest._

 _"Get out, all of you" he said sternly. "Lund Cathedral is not a common sheepfold."_

 _Then the angel Ephiriel stepped in front of the priest. He spread out his wings and said, "The pastor should not be dismayed! Rather, he should not forget that Jesus was born in a stable, and that He was called the 'Good Shepherd'"._

 _The priest stopped abruptly, for even though he was a priest in an ancient cathedral, he was not used to angels. He fell to his knees and folded his hands._

 _"Glory to God in the highest!" he exclaimed._

 _They left him like that. The angel made a sign to the others that they should go._

 _"Moments like that should never last too long," he said. "He may write a report to the bishop. Then the whole thing will be hushed up, or rumours will start to circulate about the miracle at Lund. In any case the bishop should remind the pastor that the word 'pastor' means 'shepherd', neither more nor less."_

 _Joshua struck his crook against the church wall._

 _"To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!"_

 _They spread through a large park teeming with birds. A couple of soldiers came riding in their direction. When they caught sight of the leley procession, they called out, "Halt!" and galloped towards them. But just as they bent down from their horses to seize Joshua the shepherd, the soldiers vanished like dew in sunshine._

 _Elisabet gaped, for they were still standing on the same spot as before the soldiers had ridden up._

 _"They've disappeared!" she exclaimed._

 _The angel's laugh was like rippling water._

 _"Yes. In a way. But we were the ones who disappeared. Perhaps they were so terrified when they saw what happened that they fell off their horses."_

 _Elisabet was still wondering at this, so Ephiriel had to explain to her again how they were travelling._

 _"We're travelling in two directions at once. One journey goes south on the map to the town of Bethlehem in Judea. The other passes through history to David's city at the time when Jesus was born. It's a very unusual way of travelling; many people would say it was quite impossible, but nothing is impossible for God."_

 _Elisabet marvelled at the angel's words, and hid them in her heart._

 _"It makes it simpler to avoid danger," remarked Joshua. "If we can't give the slip to priests or soldiers by taking a step to one side, we have to take a step backwards in the time instead. A mere quarter or half an hour can be sufficient."_

 _With those words they went on their way again. They passed large fields and small villages. Soon they could glimpse the sea in the distance. In a short while they were standing on a deserted beach._

 _"This is Ørsund," said Ephiriel. "My watch shows that 1703 years have passed since Jesus was born. We must get across to Denmark before the seventeenth century is over."_

 _"Here's a rowing boat," announced Joshua._

 _They climbed on board the boat, the sheep first, Elisabet and Ephiriel behind them. Joshua pushed the boat out and jumped on board at the last minute._

 _The angel Ephiriel rowed, so strongly that the spray foamed about the prow. The boat was rocked by the waves so that the lamb's bell rang piercingly all the way across._

 _Joshua sat in the stern. Suddenly he pointed forwards and said, "I can see Denmark"._

* * *

As he read that last sentence, a shiver went down his back. He had heard something like that, and now it came back to him.

 _"I can see the outside."_

Although it had been several years ago, he could still see it clearly if he closed his eyes. The first day as a member of the a scout regiment.

It had been a joyous day. Back then, all that was standing in their way for a better life was just one simple mission. Just one little thing that had to be dealt with, and then they would have the life they had always wanted. Just that one thing - that one life that would have to be taken.

Thinking back, it had all gone extremely wrong since they decided to take his offer. They could of course have refused - although that itself would have brought on consequences. Still, although it would probably have ended in their deaths, it might not. If they had…

Levi shook his head; there was no use going back and thinking through all the little things that might have been different if he'd chosen differently. It wouldn't help anyone. Not him, and… least of all the dead.

 _"I can see the outside."_

It was almost possible for him to see them. Standing there. That day. They had been on the top of the wall, ready for their first mission. Although Levi himself had been fully focused on what would come and what would have to be done, he had still seen the outside for what it was. It was freedom - or at least, that was what he had thought back then.

 _"I can see the outside."_

Isabella's words kept ringing through his head, bouncing in between memories, bringing them to the surface.

The outside: the world filled with wonders, fresh air - and most of all; the promise of being their own masters.

Expectation.

Nothing but death.

Despair.

Alone.

Furland and Isabella were long gone.

All that was left… were the memories, of the cold loneliness.

* * *

 **A/N:  
** That's it for today. I hope you enjoyed it, and my question for you today is this:  
Do you have most happy or sad feelings connected to chritmas? Are they mixed?

Please leave a review with your thoughts, okay?

 **Please like /follow me if you enjoy my stuff:**  
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	7. 06 - December 6th

**A/N:  
** So here comes a day with a tradition! The 6th of December is known for something special, and our friends sure know about it.

So, without further ado, I give you today's chapter. I hope you like it, and that you will leave a review at the end ^^

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 6TH

* * *

A sweet smell filled the room, tingling Petra's nose. Pleased with scent coming from the big pot in front of her, she put her muscles to work, stirring with almost frightening strength. It had been quite the shock to her when she had first sat down to calculate the amount of ingredients she would have to use. Petra wasn't new to cooking for the scouts, but usually it was only the Captain and the three of her fellow special operation squad members that were to be served - and in some cases Commander Erwin, Hange and even Mike. Still, there was a big difference between making food for eight people and for a group of nineteen. On top of that, Petra knew that not all had the same appetite, and from what she had seen, there were a couple of unordinary eaters in this stronghold.

"Morning, Petra!"

"Good morning, Gunter!"

Her squad mate had been up even earlier than she had. He had been set to take the morning patrol to ensure that everything looked as it should on the outside.

"So, how was it?" Petra asked, drizzling another spoon of sugar down into the pot.

"Not good," Gunter complained. "It's coming down hard. All the hard work yesterday…and not a trace left of it."

"I guess we have no choice then, huh?"

"I guess not." Grabbing a chair, the otherwise stern man sat down by the stove. "I don't know about you, but I could do without."

"What?" The expression on his female teammate's face was pure shock. Since enrolling in the military, Petra had met many men. Some of these had been ambitious and in want of power and money, some were lazy and just wanted a job, and some had been flirtatious pricks with their intentions written clearly on their forehead. All had had their agenda - all wanting to go somewhere or be something - or doing something for the human race. This was true, even today, except for one man: Gunther Schultz had struck her as a good man from the moment she met him. He was goal driven, but it soon became clear that it was not his own goals he was striving for, but those of his commander. Driven by duty, Gunther always followed through, treating all tasks with the same focused intent, regardless of being a class A mission or a cleaning job. So, for him, the image of duty, to say something like that...

"Oh, no, don't get me wrong. I would do it if asked. It's just..."

"Good morning."

Rico Brzenka entered the room carrying a pile of books. Seeing the table empty, she hurried over to the furthest corner and put down her books. "So, how are we doing? I heard we were getting sweet porridge today."

"Yeah," Petra turned her attention to the intellectual girl. "Yes, and it's about finished. If you'd like, you can have the first portion."

Shaking her head, Rico cracked open the first book "Thanks for the offer, but I should finish this first."

"What are you reading about?" Gunther got up from the chair and dragged it back to the table. "Anything interesting?"

"Not really," Rico admitted. "It's a record of the changes made to the rules. There are a few interesting details every now and then, but the rest of the book is filled with notes of changes that are insignificant to us. Like here," Rico picked one of the other books from her stack, flicking through it before holding it up for them to see. "From what is says here, there were some new rules for the royal family. I can't quite get my head around it - it's written in a very peculiar way. If I didn't know better, it's almost like the Fritz family had something to hide..."

The scout members blinked in wonder.

"Aren't the lawmakers the strictest when it comes to wording and precision?" Petra wondered, continuously stirring the pot for breakfast.

"They are, or at least they are supposed to be," Rico affirmed with a disapproving frown on her face, "But I guess all professions have their bad apples..."

"Speaking of..." She remarked as the air filled with thundering stamping.

"Is that what I think it is?!" He raised a brow.

"Ehm, yeeah… Probably?" Petra hesitated, admitting to herself that she was a tad scared of Sasha and her remarkable food related qualities.

The potato girl burst through the door and let out a roaring cheer, hurrying over to grab a plate. "Can I have, can I have, pleeeease, pleeeeeeeeeeeeease."

"Fine," Letting out a sigh, Gunther walked over to Petra to look into the pot. "It should be okay now, right?" Receiving a quick nod, he picked up a ladle and took his teammate's place. "Hand me your-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Sasha thrust her empty bowl up at him - or, as he would have described it, punched it into his chest.

Sasha was not the only soldier that looked at the day's breakfast with enthusiastic eyes. They were all used to porridge being served twice a week, but the porridge today was nothing like before. It was a special treat, only served on special occasions - or today: on sweet porridge day.

"Wow, it smells really great!" Mike drew in the smell, practically eating the air, blocking the entrance for the remaining young soldiers following him through the door, earning an impatient kick in the butt from Hange.

"Yeah, I can't wait!" Connie fumbled with his bowl impatiently, nearly dropping it. "To be honest, I've never tasted it before."

"WHAT?!"

"Sa-Sasha?"

Tears in her eyes, Sasha grabbed onto her short-haired friend, bowl and everything. "YOU POOR SOUL!" Her eyes widened as she continued: "HOW HAVE YOU SURVIVED WITHOUT THE SOOTHING TASTE OF THE SUGARY SWEETNESS COMBINED WITH THE GREAT NOURISHMENT OF RICE!"

"O-Okay…?" Connie had to take a step back, a wonder awakening in his eyes. "Is it really that great?"

Eager nodding, flicking strands of mahogany hair whipping through the air, was all the reply he got. Next thing, she turned back to the great protectors of the porridge pot.

"The porridge was really delicious, so..." Her face took a glow, and a trace of drool slowly dripped down towards her chin. "I want some more. Please?"

Gunther was a healthy man, but he turned very pale in the face of her pleading. He gazed in stupefied astonishment at the rebellious girl. "What?" He got out in a faint voice, as a vein pumped visibly beneath the surface of the otherwise reasonable man's forehead.

"Pretty, pretty pleeeeaasee." Sasha begged, offering up her bowl as if begging for alms.

The vein bulged, trembling with pressure, growing bigger and bigger, until-

"Here you go, Sasha. I'm glad you like it." Petra took the ladle from Gunther as he was about to explode, and quickly scooped up a bowlful, passing the young gloat a warning look.

"Thank you!" Sasha accepted her refill. However, the food did not last long. As soon as as the bowl was back in her hands, it was gone, in one mouthful. And the...

"Hey!"

Sasha came dashing through the room with yet another bowl in her hands, followed close by Connie.

"Give me back my porridge!"

As the chase went on, Armin left the table. Seeing him leave, Eren and Mikasa followed him, along with Krista, Ymir and Bertolt.

"Where are we going?" Krista ran up to her fellow blonde.

"We are reading now?" On Krista's other side, Ymir caught up as well. "We're not just following you to the bathroom, right?"

"Yes. Erwin told me this would be a good time."

"So now… we're going to him?"

"Exactly!"

"Wait for me, you guys!"

Turning around they could see a ginger head running towards them.

"Petra, you're joining the reading?"

"Of course!"

Armin nodded, and together the group continued to the room furthest into the building: The Commander's office, reserved for the officers and their meetings.

"Ah, come on in." A voice called as they knocked.

They went inside, and found the room surprisingly cheerful. Around the table sat not only the Commander, but his two trusted sidekicks as well.

"Finally!" Exclaimed the scientist as she saw them. "I haven't been able to think straight all day."

"Hear that?" Levi remarked drily "Your ridiculous fussing is distracting us from important work."

"Oh, I-I'm sorry." Armin jumped right out of the chair he'd taken. "I didn't meant for it-"

"Don't listen to him," Hange waved her hands, trying to calm the well-read recuit, "He's just grumpy the porridge was too sweet."

"Again, I'm sorry Captain." Petra begun, but was cut off by her captain's snort.

"Anyhow," Erwin signed for them to take place. "I've been looking forward to this. Armin," he addressed the carrier, "Could I-"

"Yes, yes!" Armin nodded intensely, handing his Commander the piece of paper.

"Thank you."

* * *

 _The sixth of December: Caspar_

 _… a camel can move from place to place as well,_  
 _a bit like the castles on a chessboard …_

* * *

 _When the boat with Elisabet, the angel Ephiriel, Joshua the shepherd, and the three sheep touched land on the Danish side of Øresund, they were welcomed politely by a black man._

 _It was Elisabet who discovered him first. The angel, who was rowing, sat with his back to the shore and Joshua was busy keeping the sheep quiet._

 _"There's a man over there," she remarked._

 _The angel glanced over his shoulder and said, "Then he's one of us."_

 _The black man had a dark cloak with gold buttons, red woollen trousers, and sheepskin shoes. He came towards them, seized the boat and pulled them up on land. The sheep jumped out first, and soon they were all standing on the beach._

 _The man with the fine clothes bent down and took Elisabet's hand._

 _"Greetings to you, my child, and welcome. I am King Caspar of Nubia."_

 _"Elisabet," said Elisabet, curtsying politely._

 _She wasn't quite sure how to behave. Perhaps she should have said that her name was Elisabet Hansen and that she came from Norway, but that wouldn't have been very interesting just after he had told her that he was the king of Nubia._

 _"He's one of the Three Wise Men from the East," whispered Ephiriel solemnly._

 _"Or one of the Three Kings of the Orient," nodded Joshua._

 _None of this made the situation any easier for Elisabet. If she was going to say anything, it would have to be that she was a Princess of Toten or something like that. Then maybe the King would have believed that Toten was a mighty kingdom._

 _The black king bowed again and said, "The pleasure is on my side of Øresund. You should know that I've been standing here waiting for you for so long that between 1701 and 1699 I had to play hopscotch."_

 _This sounded so mysterious that Elisabet began rubbing her eyes to find out whether she was properly awake. It was difficult enough to play hopscotch between squares on the asphalt, but how could the Wise Man manage to play hopscotch between two different years?_

 _He explained in more detail._

 _"When I arrived on this shore in the year of Our Lord 1701, some fishermen appeared, and they were so dismayed when they saw one of the Three Wise Men that I had to take a step backwards. That's how I got to the year 1700. I sat down and looked out over Øresund, but after a while a couple of soldiers on horseback came from the fortress in Copenhagen. They, too, were somewhat dismayed to see a black king. You see, at the moment I am the only black man in the whole of Denmark, at least, the only one who is a King of the Orient besides. That sort of thing attracts attention, my friends, for people find it difficult to get used to something completely different. So I hurried back to the year 1699, and since then I have waited here. From that time on I have met neither man nor beast, and I have had no need to hide myself from sun and moon, nor from the stars of heaven either, for the stars are so close to God that they would never permit themselves to gossip about the life of humans on earth."_

 _Elisabet wasn't sure that she understood all this, but she did see that she was talking to a real wise man. He was so wise that she didn't quite know where to look._

 _It was a great relief to her when at last the shepherd thumped his crook on the ground._

 _"To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!"_

 _The little procession of pilgrims began to move off again: the three sheep first, Joshua and Caspar the black king next, Elisabet and Ephiriel last._

 _They lept along broad cobbled streets, and Ephiriel explained that this was Copenhagen, the King's city. It was so early in the morning that the streets were almost deserted. Elisabet thought it was a blessing to see a big city empty of cars. Instead, you had to put up with the horse droppings that were fertilising the streets._

 _"The time is 1648," announced the angel Ephiriel. "It's the last year of Christian the Fourth's reign. He became King of Denmark and Norway when he was still a small child many years ago. Norway is part of Denmark at this time. Christian the Fourth is very fond of Norway and has visited the country often."_

 _Soon they arrived at the very center of the Danish capital. They stopped in front of a church with a round tower at one end._

 _"That's the Round Tower which King Christian has just built on to the new Trinity Church," said Ephiriel. "The church towers look imposing, but he thought it was a pity that they should stand there to no purpose. So the Round Tower has been built both a church tower and as a watchtower where astronomers can stand in peace and quiet studying the movements of the planets and the positions of the stars in the sky. These are the days when the first telescopes are being invented."_

 _"That's a strange mixture," said Elisabet._

 _She felt that she had to say something clever every now and again, but the Wise Man shook his head._

 _"The stars are created by God, too," he said. "So studying the stars in the sky can be like a whole church service. But here they have neither deserts nor camels."_

 _Elisabet stared at him, puzzled, and the Wise Man continued._

 _"The best way to study the stars, in the opinion of all Wise Men, is to sit on the back of a camel in the desert. It's almost like sitting in a tower, but a camel can move from place to place as well, a bit like the castles on a chessboard. The only thing that's inconvenient for a camel is to go through the eye of a needle."1_

 _Elisabet was not at all sure whether she agreed that the back of a camel could be compared with a church tower, or a desert with a chessboard._

 _"The drawback of a watchtower," Caspar went on, "is that it usually stands stock still. I've seen a tower that has stood in the same spot for more than a thousand years. The old walls must get bored with the view. On the other hand they have experienced how people have come and gone, and perhaps that has given them insight."_

 _Elisabet nodded. Caspar had even more to tell her._

 _"There are two ways of becoming wise. One way is to travel out into the world and to see as much as possible of God's creation. The other is to put down roots in one spot and to study everything that happens there in as much detail as you can. The trouble is that it's impossible to do both at the same time."_

 _Elisabet was struck with wonder at the Wise Man's words. To be on the safe side she clapped her hands, and the angel and the shepherd did the same. Caspar was infected by their enthusiasm, and began clapping too, because he was so pleased with all that had been said. Elisabet thought it must be fun to keep thinking such clever thoughts._

 _It was as if the Wise Man had read her thoughts. He said, "Thinking clever thoughts is almost like being at a circus — not a circus with clowns or elephants, but a real thinking circus. But let it be said once and for all: I am grateful to all clowns and elephants for their attention."_

 _Joshua thumped his crook on the cobbles._

 _"To Bethlehem!" he said. "To Bethlehem!"_

 _The procession of pilgrims began to move along the streets again. Through the city and out to the country they went, between swaying fields of corn and cool, leafy woodland. Denmark seemed to be extra flat: she could see no tall buildings. The only things that pointed upwards occasionally were the churches they passed, all of them built in honor of a little child who once upon a time was born in Bethlehem._

 _They caught sight of the sea in the distance and came down to a small town called Korsor which lay beside the Great Belt, the broad sound between Sjaelland and Fyn._

 _The people in the town almost fell over when they caught a glimpse of the astonishing procession, but their terror lasted only a short time, for the next moment the procession had moved one or two weeks backwards in the history of the town. Then there were other people who caught a glimpse of the pilgrimage for a second or two. At that time there was continual talk of angels._

 _Joshua pointed to a large rowing boat at the water's edge._

 _"We shall have to borrow that," he said. "Hurry up now. It's nearly 1600 years after Jesus's birth." And he fell to chasing his sheep on board._

 _Elisabet felt she had to ask whether this wasn't stealing, but Ephiriel reminded her that Jesus had to borrow an ass when he rode into Jerusalem._

 _A little later they were out on the Great Belt. The angel rowed with one oar, the black king Caspar with the other. He had to work hard in order to row as strongly as Ephiriel._

* * *

After reading the chapter, Erwin handed the piece of paper back to Armin. The recruits were about to leave the room, when Erwin handed them some news:

"The snow has become a problem." He told them. "Although we expected that it would come eventually, it was not supposed to come now."

Hange nodded. "We should've had another month or two," she explained, "What we brought with us will not suffice for the coming cold and isolation."

"So what are we to do? Are we aborting the mission?"

"No," Levi shook his head. "Just changing the plan."

Here Erwin took over, telling them what had been decided. Tomorrow, after eating breakfast, they would send a group back to the main headquarters, as well as to the city. Here the group was to pick up supplies that would be needed for food, as well as to keep the cold and ice at bay.

"So," Erwin concluded, "If any of you would like to send a letter, now would be a good time."

"Thank you, sir!" Petra sprung to her feet. "May I be excused?"

A smile spread across his lips. "Of course. Make sure you have it ready by tomorrow morning."

Ensuring him that she would, Petra hurried out of the office and up to her room.

Luckily, the room was empty. Sitting down on her bed, she pulled out the stack of paper from beneath her bed, and started writing…

 _"Dear Father_

 _How have you been? I hope all is well with you and the Karanes District._

 _Things have changed lately. Last week a group of us relocated to a new base, and we plan on spending the winter here. It's an isolated area, but I've found myself liking it more by the day. It's smaller than the old castle, but I feel it brings us closer._

 _Captain Levi say that it will be tougher to maintain ourselves and our needs here, and I agree. Still, we are all soldiers, and I believe that we can make this work. That said-"_

Someone knocked on the door.

"Petra?"

"Yes?" She watched as the door opened. "Oh, Captain. Is anything wrong?"

The ginger was halfway off the bed when Levi stopped her.

"No. It's nothing. I just wanted to stop by..." He closed the door and walked to the centre of the room. Then, turning towards her, he lowered his voice to a whisper. "Happy birthday."

Blood rushed to the young woman's cheeks. "O-oh, thanks!" She didn't know what else to say - although it felt like her whole body was about to explode with everything she didn't say. Waking up this morning, she had remembered her birthday but, ever since she joined the military, she had never told anyone her date of birth. It wasn't like she was hiding it, but she felt like when they lived as dangerously as they did, there was no need to celebrate the passing of years since one's birth, but rather focus on each and every day they survived.

As they day had passed, Petra herself had forgotten about the special occasion, but the Captain's congratulation reminded her. It didn't surprise her that he knew. The Captain was very, very particular with who he took under his wings, into the special operations squad. Before he even let the candidates themselves know that they might be offered a place on his team, they were searched up and down - both through the legal - and the less legal - channels. On top of this, Levi's own take on you was crucial and he was known for pulling threads,putting the candidates in situations testing their tactical skills, their obedience, as well as pulling out any special kind of talent they might hide.

Still, for him to remember - and not just as a fact in case there was a question about it, but to know it and to act on it... Petra smiled to herself. Although this was something he probably also did for the other members of her team, it still made her feel appreciated. A birthday was nothing important when it came down to it, so to hear those words from someone that kept his focus on the goal and how to reach it, was especially meaningful.

"A letter for your father?" He asked, nodding towards the piece of paper on her bed.

Nodding her head, Petra made sure to hold back her tears.

Levi let his eyes linger on the piece of paper, before moving them to meet hers. "Make sure you get some rest."

"Yeah, I will." A faint blush grew on her cheeks and, after looking away a faint second, she looked back up, a shy smile on her lips. "You too."

The captain raised a brow at her, then, giving her a nod, he closed the door behind him.

With a smile on her lips, Petra turned back to her letter.

 _"That said, I think that it will test us in a good way. Many of us are only familiar with the other's abilities as soldiers and fighters. I feel that, by living as close as we now do, we will learn more about each other as people. It might be strange for a soldier to feel that way, but I would love to learn more about those around me. Already, I've learned a few interesting things; I've learned that the most promising of the new recruits is as good with her needle as with her weapon, that the strongest of men can be the one to show tears when reading a poem, or that the kindest act might come from the least expected place._

 _All of these are memories that I cherish - even those that are sad or annoying. I feel like there will be many new memories this winter. Armin - a new recruit that might even be on level with Commander Erwin himself, has found a collection of papers telling a tale. Each evening he reads from it, and we gather around him to hear of a strange world._

 _I wish I could write you more, but I'm afraid I don't have the time. Still, I will try to write to you as often as I'm able - though I think the snow might make it a while until the next time._

 _Love you lots,_  
 _Petra"_

* * *

 **A/N:  
** So, that's it^^ I hope you enjoyed it and that you will leave a review.  
Also, while you're at it, why not tell me about your own relationship with the sweet porridge?  
Do you have it often? Have you a craving for it right now? or have you never tasted it?  
Please leave a review with your thoughts, okay?

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	8. 07 - December 7th

**A/N:  
** Seven is a magical number, and today is the 7th. In a world so cruel and beautiful, there are a lot of choices to be made. Some are easy, some harder, and some decide your fate.

Please leave a review in the end with your thoughts - as well as the answer for today's question^^

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 7TH

* * *

The morning had come, and as the cart was ready for departure, a small pile of letters were lying in wait.

«These are all the letters?» Eyeing the letters with a peculiar look on her face, Rico Brzenka picked them up, and placed them gently in her messenger pouch.

"All?" Sasha blinked. "Yeah, you're right. There are quite a few this time."

"What?" The senior officer blinked in surprise. "You mean to say that there are usually fewer than this?"

Rico had thought she knew everything worth knowing about the members of the scout regiment. Not on a personal level of course, but she had know what kind of people to expect when teaming up with them. Or so she had thought. From all she had heard about them from others, the scouts seemed to be divided into five groups: the adventures, the fools, the ambitious, the criminals, and those that had nowhere else to go.

The first group was a simple one. These were the ones who were only interested in leaving the wall in search for a rumored 'new life'. They wanted change and, after graduation, a life at gatewatch or as a royal guard seemed too tedious and dull. So, they decided to join up with the legendary scouts, to venture outside the wall just for the thrill of it. They were fools.

The real fools were those that didn't have a brain - or so it seemed to Rico at times. They were mostly consisting of men with big muscles and much to prove. Ensuring their physical strength remained in peak condition, believing it would be more than enough to help them be the very best at their job, convinced someone like them would never die a death by Titans. However, that was what usually happened to them. Encountering their first Titan, they would scatter as flies before falling to the ground, paralyzed with fear; or they would burst with pride, and push out their chests, while jumping into open mouths. Foolish fools.

And then there were the ambiguous ones. These were the ones that would choke you just by talking. Their speech, their words, everything was filled to the brim with talk about what they would do once they proved themself. They would rise like stars, apparently, and then they would be the one to make the decisions that would save them all. During her time in the military, Rico had met many of these, but only a handful had some truth to them. These had proved to be fine individuals, and Rico had found herself inspired by their presence. The rest… They were nothing but cowards who wanted to get away from it all, and be able to look down on the battle from a high seat or a commanding table. Luckily, she had yet to see any of these succeed in their ambition. If they did… that would most likely be the day the scouts would die out entirely.

The last group was the one that the soldier had the most empathy for. These were the ones that had nowhere else to go. Their families, and homes, were gone. They had little, or nothing, left, and so they signed up for the scouts. Many of these were driven by revenge or hatred towards the titans – while others just had no desire to stay; constantly reminded of what they once had. These were the poor souls that had nothing left to give the world, other than their humanity and, in the end, their life.

Some might say that all these proved good as sacrifice of war, but that was not the truth. Coming away from their normal lives made many of the previously destroyed men open their eyes and regain the power to fight. That said, most of the soldiers still ended up as food for the Titans. It was the scary truth, and it was the reason why joining the scouts could be seen as a suicide mission. Still, the many sacrifices made were what kept humanity going. Not only by decreasing the number of inhabitants of the walls, but also by giving the many men and women an outlet for all their hate and grief that had been growing inside of them.

What about her? What had made a soldier like Rico Brzenka - a leader of the 1st Division Elite Force of the Garrison - make her way into the dangers of the world outside? To be honest, Rico didn't know herself. She had never thought herself foolish enough to make a decision to put her life in danger like that. It was not like her, or it hadn't been. Although she was tough, the fact remained that her being the only survivor of the elite squad assigned to protect Eren Yeager during the liberation of Trost District, had been harder on her than anything else she had gone through in all her time as a soldier. Her comrades, Mitabi Jarnach and Ian Dietrich, had been some of the finest soldiers she had ever seen, yet they had perished before her eyes. Still, it hadn't been for nothing. Their sacrifices had made it possible for Eren to carry the boulder, while in his titan form, and block the entrance. Although it had saddened her, Rico had been moved by the sight and had realized the others did not die in vain.

From that moment on, she had found herself growing more courageous. No more was she going to hide inside the walls and just watch as the world around her was crumbling and falling at the feet of the Titans. She wouldn't let that continue. However, Rico was not dumb. She knew that if she herself signed up and joined the front line, it wouldn't help much. No, it needed to be changed from the inside. The only problem was, how to make the Garrison see the full threat of what was waiting outside the walls? How could she convince them and find the best possible solution to the problem?

It was in search of this answer that Rico had agreed to join the scouts as they left. Well, to say that she agreed was wrong. The feisty, young woman had gone to Commander Pixis herself to discuss it, and together they had decided that the best solution would be for her to go out and experience the world outside the walls first hand. She was not to join them fully, but to observe and to take the information she gathered back to headquarters. There, the information would be used to create a new understanding of the scout regiment and of what could better their - no, humanity's - chances of survival.

That was the goal that Rico was seeing in the future. A world where humans no longer had to fear attacks from Titans and where the chances of death, for soldiers encountering these beasts, were slim, close to none. It was a goal that was more a hope than a realistic wish, but just for today, if just for her birthday, she wanted to believe the world could be at peace.

Rico sighed and was about to step aboard the carriage, when something caught her attention.

"Rico!"

From inside the stable, Sasha's bushy hair came swirling towards her, and Sasha with it.

"What is it?" The older woman asked.

"We can't leave yet!" Sasha told her. "We haven't heard today's little note story!"

Rico raised a brow. "The story that Armin has been telling? I didn't think you had any interest in it."

"Well, not at first" Sasha admitted. "But that was before I caught up with it. It's really good!"

"No, we do not have the time." Rico informed in a harsh tone. "The snow is already surrounding us and the house is not prepared for this."

"Ah…" Sasha nodded and then, with a sad look on her face, she climbed into the carriage. All the time, thinking of what her friends were listening to right at that moment...

* * *

 _The seventh of December: The fourth Sheep_

 _… in heaven we've always considered this to be a slight exaggeration …_

* * *

 _The angel Ephiriel and the black king Caspar had rowed Elisabet, Joshua, and the three sheep over the Great Belt._

 _'We're going ashore again,' said Ephiriel. 'This island is called Fyn, and it's exactly 1599 years since Jesus was born in Bethlehem.'_

 _From the sea they ran towards a large castle on a mound between ramparts and ditches. 'That's Nyborg Castle,' the angel told them. 'We're standing in front of the oldest royal fortress in Scandinavia.'_

 _Elisabet pointed up at one of the ramparts._

 _'There's a sheep.'_

 _The angel nodded. 'Then it's one of us.'_

 _With that they all leapt up onto the ramparts, the three sheep ﬁrst, Joshua and Caspar after them, Elisabet and Ephiriel last._

 _A soldier rushed out from between the buildings in the castle. He raised a spear and shouted, 'Sheep thieves!'_

 _The next moment three or four soldiers came storming up. All of them had spears and one of them had a kind of gun as well. The angel Ephiriel confronted the soldiers and they threw themselves down on the ground and hid their heads in their hands._

 _'Fear not!' said the angel in a gentle voice. 'I bring you tidings of great joy. This sheep will come with us to the Holy Land where the Christ-child is to be born.'_

 _Only one of the soldiers dared to look up. He was the one who had called them sheep thieves._

 _'Be merciful unto us and take the sheep with you,' he cried._

 _The sheep in question had already joined the others as if it belonged to the little ﬂock. Joshua struck his crook against the rampart and said, 'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

 _Off they went across the green island, the four sheep ﬁrst, Joshua, Caspar, Ephiriel and Elisabet following them._

 _On the bank of a small river they passed a town with narrow streets and one-storey dwellings. On the outskirts stood an ancient stone church with a square tower._

 _'That's Odense Cathedral,' said Ephiriel. 'It's called after Canute the Holy who was killed here in the year 1086.'_

 _'What's the time by the angel-watch?' asked Elisabet._

 _'lt's 1537 years after Christ. From now on the Bible will be printed in all the languages of the world so that everyone can read about Jesus, for in these days the art of printing will be invented. Before this, books have had to be written by hand, and only the priests were able to read the Bible. But not many people have learned to read. Now it will be decided that everyone must go to school.'_

 _'Some years ago,' said Caspar, 'a Polish astronomer called Copernicus discovered that the earth is as round as a ball and moves in orbit round the sun. This wasn't news to wise men, but to most people it was new and exciting. Sailors could now travel round the world, and that's how Columbus reached America in the year 1492. After him the Spanish sailors cruelly attacked the Indians. In the opinion of the Kings of the Orient it would have been better if they had kept to the ships of the desert, for there is no more peaceful animal than a camel in the desert, and peace is the message of Christmas.'_

 _Elisabet was still trying to understand what the Wise Man had said when Joshua struck the ground with his crook._

 _'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

 _They went on their way along a ridge that gave them a good view over Fyn. Now and then they looked down on a horse drawing a plough or an ox harnessed to a cart._

 _'It's not so ﬂat here,' said Elisabet as she ran. 'But we're still in Denmark, aren't we?'_

 _The angel nodded. 'Yes indeed, and the Danes are very proud of ridges like this, but we're only a hundred metres above sea level. They have called the hillsides we can see down there on the left the Fyn Alps. Another ridge is called the Heavenly Mountain. In heaven we've always considered this to be a slight exaggeration.'_

 _The procession had paused, and Caspar joined in the conversation again._

 _'But it's important to be happy about the little you have. However little it is, it's inﬁnitely more than nothing.'_

 _'If the world was as round and smooth as a ball,' said Elisabet thoughtfully, 'there wouldn't be one single mountain on the whole earth. But then, even a rocky slope would be as exciting as the highest mountain in Norway, as long as it was the only rocky slope.'_

 _'So, you see how easily clever ideas travel,' said the Wise Man. 'You've been with a Wise Man for only a fairly short time, but you've already understood a tiny part of the heavenly wisdom. Bravo!'_

 _Elisabet was glad she had said something clever for once. She felt so cheered by it that she tried again._

 _'And if the world was as small as the moon, nobody would have complained that it hadn't been made a bit larger.'_

 _'How true that is,' said Caspar. 'Even if the world had been no larger than a pea, it would have been as big a mystery. For where would the little pea have come from? That too would have had to be created by God. It's no easier to create a pea than to create a whole solar system.'_

 _Elisabet thought this was a bit of an exaggeration, for if the world hadn't been any larger than a pea, it wouldn't have had room for even Adam and Eve._

 _'If there had been only one star in the sky,' Caspar continued, 'that one star would have aroused as much wonder as all the other stars together. After all, nobody goes round complaining because there's only one moon. On the contrary: if there had been a hundred moons they would only have got in each other's way. So the creation of billions of stars in the sky was an excessive exaggeration. Whenever there's too much of anything, you can stare at it without appreciating it. That's how it's possible to be out under a starry sky and fail to see a single star because of a shower of shooting stars.'_

 _It was quite true, thought Elisabet. She had often looked at a sky full of stars without ﬁnding any particular one._

 _Caspar went on, 'In the opinion of the Kings of the Orient, God spoiled humans a bit, because He created far too much at the same time. He created so many strange things to look at that many people don't see God. But that's how he managed to hide Himself too. He wouldn't have been able to do that if only four people, three trees, two sheep and eight camels existed in the whole of creation. If only one ﬁsh could be found in the sea, people would probably have noticed how perfect it was. And then they might have started asking who had made it.'_

 _For a while he remained standing, looking about him. Elisabet thought he was waiting for someone to applaud his wise words, so she clapped her hands together. Then the others began clapping as well._

 _'There, there,' said Caspar. 'That wasn't so much to clap for.'_

 _Then he seemed to change his mind._

 _'Although it was inﬁnitely more than nothing.'_

 _The procession of pilgrims ran down towards a little town beside a narrow strip of water._

 _'The sound is called the Little Belt,' said Ephiriel. 'The time is 1504 years after Christ.'_

 _Before Elisabet was able to ask how they were going to cross the sound, Joshua was on his way towards a boat that lay moored to a little quay. In the boat sat a young man drawing up a ﬁshing line. When he caught sight of the angel Ephiriel he dropped the line into the sea and threw himself down with his head on the deck._

 _'Be not afraid,' said Ephiriel. 'We are pilgrims on our way to the Holy Land where Jesus is to be born. Can you row us over the Little Belt?'_

 _'Amen,' replied the ferryman. 'Amen, amen...'_

 _The angel knew his answer meant yes. The four sheep and the rest of the pilgrims climbed on board the boat._

 _While the ferryman rowed across the sound he stared and stared at Ephiriel. It was probably the ﬁrst time he had seen a proper angel. He didn't even glance at the black king, Caspar._

 _If the angel had not been with them, Elisabet thought, the ferryman would most certainly have had more than enough to do, staring at the black king. Only if the king had not been with them either, would he perhaps have looked at her. She thought it was a shame that the world should be like that._

 _When they were over on the other side and the sheep began jumping out of the boat, they said thank you and goodbye to the ferryman. As for the ferryman, he only repeated what he had already said over and over again. 'Amen, amen. . .'_

* * *

After the reading ended, the group cleaned away their empty plates. And, as some were leaving to continue on to their given tasks, Mikasa headed outside. She had been given a task the previous day, but the task had been easy and completed within the hour. So, while her peers still struggled with their jobs, Mikasa was free to go as she pleased. Of course, she could have helped the others, but when she had reported to the Commander that she was free to receive a new assignment, he had told her to take some time off and relax. Unfamiliar with this concept, Mikasa had roamed the rooms looking for something to help pass the time, but all she could find was Connie struggling with the dishes. She had volunteered to give him a hand, but as Erwin passed them, she was told to focus on the relaxation part.

She understood then. It was not just a friendly comment from the Commander, but an order. Not only that; It was also a test - a test for whether or not she would be able to keep to herself and just relax. It was impossible, she knew that. Mikasa could never relax, least of all in a situation or a place like this. There were too many dangers that lurked, and she had to stay on her toes in case the Titans found them and decided to attack. No, it would be impossible to completely let go. However, she thought to herself as she walked through the door and out to the courtyard; she could at least act the part.

So that was what she did. She used what she had seen when observing the others. However, it was not as easy as she had predicted. To seem relaxed turned out to be a much tougher task than she had thought, and for the first time in a long while, she began to feel exhausted. It was not like she would fall to the ground, but it was eating her from the inside.

Unsure what to do, the young woman kept walking. She passed Bertolt sweeping by the front of the house, and she passed Jean, who seemed to have a hard time getting the horses to eat. Without a word of greeting, she continued on and it was only as she reached the main entrance to the new hold that she took the time to slow down. What was she doing? What was her plan? Did she have any? Not really, she thought. All she wanted was to prove to Commander Erwin that she could relax. Her plan had been to seem to go out for a relaxing stroll, but she now realised how unlikely it was that that was what it had really looked like.

A frustrated growl left her throat. "Then what the hell am I supposed to do?"

She wanted to go to Eren. That was all that she really wanted. However, once again, that was something she wasn't able to do. Earlier that morning, as Sasha and Rico had gathered all that was needed for their travel back to the capital, Eld had pulled Eren aside. Mikasa hadn't been included in the conversation, but she had been able to pick up on pieces of the conversation.

From what she had gathered, Hange Zoë had wanted Eren for some research. Most likely the scientist planned to do something horrible to him again. Mikasa would have protested, but she knew it would do no good. If she did, then it would make an even bigger rift between the two of them.

"Enjoying your time off?"

Mikasa turned around. In the midst of her thinking, she hadn't noticed the Captain.

"I see," He continued. "There's no need to explain yourself. I know how it feels." He walked up to her, and after eyeing the wooden crates, he sat down on one of them. "You're like me."

The statement created a tumble of feelings within Mikasa. Denial, anger, disgust, and rage; all of these gathered as one and filled her to the point where she found herself unable to hold herself together.

"What?!" The words had enough frost in them to cover the entire wall Sheena. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Had he really compared the two of them? There was no way he could. Well, sure, both of them were good fighters and had dark eyes and dark hair, but other than that, they were entirely different.

Mikasa could still remember hearing about Levi for the first time. There had been many rumors going around about the strongest soldiers alive. Back then, she had admired him. He had been someone she had yearned to be. Not that she was interested in the titles and nicknames. No, what she had seen was someone strong - someone that would never loose, but that always would be able to reach their goal. If she could become someone like that…

In that way, the two of them were opposites. While everything she did was for the sake of Eren and to ensure a happy future for them, all the short man had done was stomp her dream into the ground. From the moment she had seen him, she had felt uneasy, and when they met for the second time, in the Courtroom, her feelings had proved right: That man was a monster. She would never forget how she had been utterly unable to protect Eren. Closing her eyes, she could still see everything, as if it were yesterday.

"Yo, Ackerman…" an increasingly familiar voice broke through her melancholy.

Mikasa looked up, meeting the bleak eyes with her own. "I never properly thanked you..."

"Huh?" Levi raised a brow.

"I really tried to bury it..."

"But? You can't, can you?"

The lack of uneasiness in his voice should have warned Mikasa, but she was already moving.

Right, left, she moved. Up, around, and then-

Her eyes widened as her fist pounded into her superior's chest. She'd hit him!

"O.w.c.h." Levi looked back up at her. "That would have hurt."

Mikasa looked closer at her place of impact. No! Impossible! He'd caught her fist with his own hand, slowing the speed and reducing the punch greatly.

"You..."

"I told you, didn't I?" He pushed her hand and arm away from him. "We're the same." He looked at her face, and noticing the dazed expression on it, he continued. "Don't think you're the only one protecting something. We all are."

That surprised her. She knew that she was driven by the wish to protect Eren, but could it be that it was the same for the Captain? Could he be… could he? However, before she had the opportunity to ask, Levi had gotten back up and was striding towards Bertolt. She could have caught up with him, attacked him even, but for some reason, Mikasa didn't feel the urge to do so. It was strange, and so she sat down, pondering the words of the Captain.

* * *

 **A/N:  
** So, that's it. All that remains is the question of today, and that is:  
Which of the factions would YOU have joined if you had not choice but to join one?

Personally, I would like to go fro the Military Police Brigade,  
but I probably wouldn't have the grades to do that,  
and so I would end up in the Garrison.  
Life in the Survey Corps sure isn't for me.

Please leave a review with your thoughts, okay?

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	9. 08 - December 8th

**A/N:  
** Christmas is a time of year that is wonderful, but it can also be quite mysterious. So far, our friends have found a strange calendar, but far stranger things will happen in this chapter :3

Please leave review in the end - it means the world to me.

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 8TH

* * *

The sun had yet to climb into the world, and the outdoors were covered in a thick veil of shadows and smoke. The only light that could be seen was from snow, reflecting the light of the moon, and the moon itself. No sound could be heard, and there was no movement in the terrain, except for the falling snow and the swift dance of the branches after being tickled in the wind. Silent. Dead.

But there.

A shadow.

Swiping through faster than the eye could see, and gone as soon as it appeared.

In his bed, Jean tossed and turned. He had been working the entirety of yesterday with the horses. Not that taking care of the animals was his favorite thing - he could easily imagine a number of more interesting jobs to do, but, on the other side, it was much better compared to some. Everything had seemed fine, but as soon as he walked back indoors, his body had given its own opinion. He hurt all over. Honestly, Jean couldn't remember ever feeling this bad before, in his life. He had whined and complained most of the evening, until he got into a fight.

He hadn't meant what he said, not really. Or, he had not meant for the words to be said out loud - at least in front of so many people. It was all because of the pain in his back. The pain made him grumpy and agitated. Still, it shouldn't have been said. He knew that this 'Christmas thing' meant a lot to some of his friends, so it wasn't right for him to ruin it. That said, the tradition was a truly foolish thing. Jean hadn't paid too much attention to what was going on around him - no, he'd made sure not to involve himself - but what he had gathered was that the tradition was about strange angel-creatures that could fly and jump in time. It was impossible - and they should know that.

Rustling back and forth, he finally was able to fall into a heavy sleep; a sleep filled with whispers, and howls, until..

"AAh!"

Jean jumped out of bed, his face whiter than Levi's sheets. What he had seen… He couldn't… Why now? His body - lying there, abandoned in the dust and mud. Calling it once more to his mind, Jean had to do his best to stop himself from puking.

Marco.

Although he'd seen an uncountable number of bodies, the one of Marco was the worst. It had been beyond shocking when, as he walked through the streets of Trost, looking at the many dead bodies, he found his friend was one of them. Friend… No… Marco had been more than that. He-, he'd been his best friend. Before he met Marco, nobody had understood Jean. Sure, they had understood the 'Jean' that he chose to show the world, but Marco had seen something more...

"Yes, I wasn't the prettiest sight, was I?"

"No, you..."

Jean's eyes widened. Slowly, he turned to look to his side and shrieked.

"I-It can't be..."

There, on the chair he had placed by his bed, to put his clothes on at night, sat...

"Marco."

"Hi, Jean. It's been a while."

Not knowing what to do, Jean couldn't gather his words, and what fell out of his mouth in the end was: "But... you're dead."

"I am." Marco nodded, a sad smile on his face.

"But then..?"

"Why am I here?" The fallen friend completed his question. "Well, sometimes it just seems like there are things that have yet to be done. It wouldn't be right to leave without making sure everything is alright." Standing up, he continued; "So, Jean, tell me. How are you doing?"

"How am I-" Jean began, but cut himself off. How was he feeling? Well, for once his back hurt terribly- or, wait. Now that he tried moving it, there was no pain - no sign of his struggles. Could it be that… "Is this a dream?" He asked.

"And what if it was?"

Jean nodded to himself. That made sense. There was no way that Marco could be here. He was dead and gone, and all that was left were memories. He sat down on his bed again, and pulled his legs up with him.

"I see you haven't changed, Jean."

Before he could protest, Jean found Marco sitting on the bed with him. A nostalgic feeling filled him as he recalled they had done this many times, back when they trained to be soldiers together.

"You're still as sceptical. That was something I admired about you, but you know, you could do to loosen up a bit. Have fun, enjoy life, and have hope."

Jean didn't know what to say - or if he should say anything at all. Would it be weird if he talked? It would, wouldn't it? However, it was Marco, and Marco had been the one to open Jean's eyes for what even he himself didn't see. Should he talk to him? Not that he was really there, but just maybe...

"Marco?" He turned his head, but there was no one there.

Jean sat up with a gasp of air stuck in his throat. He coughed for a bit, but was soon able to get up and out of bed. Through the window, he could see the sun was high in the sky. Wrapping himself in the sweater his mom had knitted for him, Jean gave himself a tight hug. Normally he wouldn't have worn it so openly, but after what just happened, Jean did not care anymore. He had been visited by Marco, a ghost of the past. It was scary to think about - that he had been dreaming something that unthinkable.

"It's impossible" he told himself for the hundredth time. "It was just a dream."

Shaking his head, he headed for the door, but then a tray caught his attention. He walked over to it. It wasn't much - only a couple of slices of bread and a cup of what had once been hot tea. He picked it up nonetheless and took a sip. Even cold, it was good, and Jean was about to drink it all, when he caught the sight of something…

He picked it up and looked at it:

* * *

 _The eighth of December: Jacob_

 _… part of the glory of heaven that has strayed down to earth …_

* * *

 _One of the last days of the year 1499 after Christ, four sheep, one shepherd, one King of the Orient, one angel and a little girl from Norway ﬂocked out of a boat that had brought them across the Little Belt to Jutland._

 _'Thank goodness!' exclaimed Caspar as they stepped on land._

 _'Yes, it'll be a long time now before we have to do that again,' replied Joshua._

 _The angel Ephiriel nodded. 'Verily I say unto you that there will be only one more time before we get to Bethlehem.'_

 _Elisabet had no idea what they were talking about. 'Isn't it still terribly far to Bethlehem?' she asked._

 _'Yes, indeed,' said the angel. 'It is far, and many hundreds of years too._

 _But there is only one more stretch of ocean to cross. That won't happen until we get to the Black Sea.'_

 _The little procession came to a town at the inner end of a fjord. At one end of the town stood a large fortress._

 _'This town is called Kolding and is in South Jutland,' said the angel Ephiriel. 'It has been an important trading place for hundreds of years. The fortress is called Koldinghaus and the kings of Denmark have often lived here. The time is l488 years after Christ's birth.'_

 _Joshua struck the ground with his crook._

 _"To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

 _They came to the top of a little ridge with ﬁne views over the countryside. Fresh ﬂowers were growing everywhere, so it must have been early summer. Elisabet pointed down at the ground as she ran._

 _'Look at all the lovely wild ﬂowers!' she said._

 _The angel nodded mysteriously._

 _"They are part of the glory of heaven that has strayed down to earth,' he explained. 'You see, there's so much glory in heaven that it can easily spill over.'_

 _Elisabet pondered over the angel's words and hid them in her heart._

 _Suddenly the shepherd stopped and pointed at the little ﬂock of sheep._

 _'A lamb is missing!'_

 _He needed to say no more, for all of them saw that the earth seemed to have swallowed up the lamb with the bell._

 _'Where is it?' exclaimed Elisabet._

 _'The lambs are so charming with their white ﬂeece that they're a delight to the eye, but they're almost uncontrollable,' said Joshua. 'It doesn't always help to put a bell on them, either. If I'm watching one lamb, the other will suddenly vanish. And when I ﬁnd the second lamb, all of a sudden the ﬁrst lamb will decide to leave the ﬂock. Shepherding is a difﬁcult job, and it's especially difﬁcult to herd a ﬂock of sheep all the way to Bethlehem. As it is written, now I must leave the other sheep to look for the one lamb that is missing.'_

 _Elisabet felt her eyes ﬁll with tears. But just then a man appeared over the crest of the ridge. He was wearing clothes exactly like Joshua's and on his shoulders he was carrying the lamb with the bell._

 _'He is one of us,' said Ephiriel._

 _The man put the lamb down at Elisabet's feet. He held out his hand to Joshua and said, 'I am Jacob the shepherd and the second of the shepherds in the ﬁeld. Now I can help care for the ﬂock that's going to Bethlehem.'_

 _Elisabet clapped her hands. Joshua struck the ground with his crook and said, 'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

 _The two shepherds ran behind the little ﬂock, with Caspar the black king, the angel Ephiriel and Elisabet behind them._

 _As they were passing the old market town of Flensburg the angel Ephiriel said, 'The time is 1402 years after the birth of Christ. We shall soon be crossing the frontier into Germany and diving down into the depths of the Middle Ages.'_

* * *

While Jean was reading the piece of paper, Armin had gathered a group of people around the dining table.

"And here," Armin pointed at the map in front of him. "This is where they met Caspar."

"Really?" Erwin bent even further over the table to get an even better look. "I had imagined it differently. Like there," he moved his finger across the map, "that is where I would have gone."

"Maybe they had a reason?" Krista suggested. "Maybe there is someone else they are going to meet up with?"

"That is likely," Armin agreed. If one thing was sure about these pieces of paper, it was that the group of travelers seemed to grow with each day.

"Can you show me again?" Hange leaned down and joined Erwin in the close inspection of the map. "The place called Bethlehem."

Armin nodded and carefully pushed the scientist's finger to the side. "There. Just underneath Jerusalem."

The scientist nodded and continued to look at the map and the little markers that Armin had placed on the upper part of the map. Her finger played on the parchment, and once in awhile they stopped to read the little text printed there.

"It's remarkable," she whispered. "It's almost like another world." She stopped her tracing, and looked up at the blond boy. "Where did you find it?"

"Over there, on the shelf," Armin explained. It had been tucked inside a box on the shelf, and as he went through it, on the 2nd of December, he had found it. It hadn't done much for him, though. He hadn't had the time to study it parchment yet, though, and it had been placed in the pile of materials that Armin planned to go through on a later occasion. That occasion had ended up being this morning. He had picked up the map and noted that this was not an area that he was familiar with. Intrigued, he had continued to read, and as he reached the north - he had begun in the centre of the map and moved south first - he had found himself recognizing the names. He hadn't been sure why, until he a few hours later, when they had read today's chapter of the calendar. Then it had hit him. What he had found was a map containing the places written about in the book.

"So whoever wrote the calendar also made the map?" Erwin asked. "The question is in what order. Is the map based on the story, or the story on the map."

"I'm not sure." Armin said, his eyes looking unfocused down on the map. "It could be the same creator... or, it is not impossible that it is by another creator. Who knows, they might not even be related to each other..."

"Another creator?" Erwin looked up, a glowing interest in his eye. "You mean that there can have been two individual creators here? If that is the truth, then what is this based on?" The flame in his eyes grew even stronger, and, down on the table, his fists clenched tight. "I, myself, have not studied maps to the degree that I know every inch of our world, but looking at this… everything on it is unfamiliar. There is nothing that I've even heard of - and not this god of theirs either."

"My thoughts are the same," Hange agreed. "I haven't been focusing on maps either, but this whole concept - this whole world that we have found here, these past two weeks…"

Silence fell over the room. No one wanted to say what was on everyone's mind. The thought was a dangerous one, and they knew that if they opened their mouths to say it, it could never be taken back or forgotten. It was a thought, but it could not be the truth. It was impossible, wasn't it?

* * *

 **A/N:  
** What a visitor, am I right?

But now, tell me:  
Do you guys know of any or many - or maybe even all, of the places that Elisabet has run through?  
Tell me okay? And tell me which ones and why you know of them^^

Please leave a review with your thoughts, okay?

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	10. 09 - December 9th

**A/N:  
** There a secrets, and then there are promises. It's important to keep these. And if you don't? Well, unpleasant things might happen.

I really appreciate the reviews, so please send me one when you're done with the chapter.

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 9TH

* * *

"Isn't this too stupid - even for you?"

Reiner had seen many strange things in his life. Some turned out to be pleasant, some did not. This was surely a case of the latter one. In front of him, dressed in the bright red fabric that Connie had discovered a few days earlier, stood Eren.

"Hey!"

"Well, there's nothing else to say, is there? It look makes you look even more like an idiot than usual."

"Don't say that," Krista pulled aside the sheet hanging by a coat hanger, serving as a screen. "I think he looks cute."

Cute!? A vein bulged on Reiner's forehead. Did she really think Eren looked cute? No, that was ridiculous.

"You don't have to tell him that," Reiner turned to Krista. "He's almost a man now, he should be able to hear the truth."

Both Krista and Eren opened their mouths, but before any of them had the chance to defend the eye-catching attire, the sheet was pulled to the side once more.

"Hahaha!"

"There, you see. Even Ymir agrees."

"Hm?" Giving the ox of a man the evil eye, Ymir leaned down to wrap her arms around Krista.

"That silly outfit." Reiner pointed at Connie. "Even you can see how stupid it looks, right?"

"Ah, yeah," she replied, her attention all on Krista, but then: "Oh, I forgot!" Ymir, the expression on her face shifting between glee and a mocking smile, handed Reiner something red. "They told me to give this to you."

"Hey, wha- Oh, hell no!" Realizing what it was he was holding in his hands, Reiner wanted to hurl it straight back at Ymir's stupid grin, but then there was Krista…

Here eyes were big and blue, and as he watched, it seemed almost like they were growing bigger. Growing soft in the face of her pleading eyes, he let out a heavy sigh.

"Fine..." He unfolded the fabric and put the piece on his head. "Happy?"

"Yes!" Krista nodded enthusiastically, looking at him with a smile that could melt a harder man than Reiner. "It looks amazing! You really do look good wearing that!"

"Yeah, you really do." Ymir got out, fighting to keep her laughed back. "Maybe you should start wearing that thing all the time? Who knows, maybe the Titans will think you're pretty as well?"

A dark shadow fell over his face but, before he could reply, they heard loud clapping on the other side of the sheet.

"Is everyone ready?"

The little group looked at each other, and then turned and walked out from behind the sheet. And, swallowing his once existing pride, Reiner followed them out to join the rest.

"Armin?" Eld looked down at the blonde.

"Well, it's not that easy," he begun, his nose buried deep into the book on his lap, "But if we could look away from the actual locations, then-"

"Krista should play Elisabet!" Jean cut Armin off. "We all know that nobody else here would fit in the role."

"Krista is gonna be the cute little lamb." Ymir disagreed. "That is the cutest part - so of course Krista will have it!" She smiled down at her short friend. "And I'll be there, carrying you as if you were my wife."

"Oh, Ymir." A giggle left Krista as she nodded, accepting the part Ymir had suggested for her.

"Okay," Armin scribbled down a note on the paper. "Then, would anyone else like to play Elisabet?"

"You should do her," Bertolt suggested. "No one else knows the story as well as you do."

To Armin's surprise, chatters of agreement rose, and before he knew exactly what was going on, the group had reached the decision that Armin had to play Elisabet.

"Okay, then that is decided. Krista will be the lamb, Ymir will be Jacob, and I… will play Elisabet. Does anyone else have wishes?"

"I think Eren would do a very convincing job as a sheep."

"What did you say, horseface?"

"Really, I mean it. 'Meeeeh, meeeh'."

The two of them were about to attack one another, but before their fists could make contact with the other's face, Mikasa swirled and knocked them both to the side.

"Wow, good job, Mikasa," Reiner complimented, "By the way you're handling those sheep, one would think you were a shepherd."

"There is another spot for a shepherd," Armin informed them. "We have yet to choose a Joshua."

"I'll take it." Her voice was determined, and if there had been anyone else wishing for that role they now withdrew quietly.

"Hey! I'm no sheep! I wanted to be Caspar!" Jean complained.

"You?" A snort came from the other side of the room. Until then, Oluo had stay still, looking at the commotion with a raised brow, but not any longer. "If anyone should step in the footprints of the wise king, it should obviously be me." Meeting a lot of sceptical faces, he continued: "Do I really have to explain myself?"

"No," Gunther sighed. "Please don't do that, Oluo. It's fine, just take the role of the black king."

"Thank you."

"And I will volunteer as a sheep as well," Gunther added, " And" he scanned the room left and right. "Connie, you can be a sheep, right?"

"Ehm, yeah, sure."

"Perfect. Then all we need is the angel."

"Hiii~" In through the door came an unsuspecting scientist. She was in a hurry, her glasses hanging halfway down her face. "I'm sooo sorry I'm late. You see," Trying to show them some of the documents she was carrying, her hand slipped, and suddenly the papers danced through the room. "Damn it!"

The sudden outburst made more than just a few blink. Hange was not one to curse, so... was something going on? Those closest to the door got up and moved over to help her.

Gunther, who wished for nothing more than to get this whole meeting over with - he hated things that were unnecessarily dragged out - smiled. He knew he would have to ask first, but imagining the eccentric scientist as an angel, he realized that might be just what they needed.

After all the papers were picked up, Hange showed them what she had been carrying.

"And that's exciting why?" Scratching the back of his head, Connie looked down at the drawing of a stone.

"Don't you see?" sighing, she pushed the drawing even closer to his face. "Here, see. That is a stone - an old stone."

"Y-yeah?"

Sensing that the conversation behind them could take quite some time, the rest of the group turned back to their task: Going through the plans for their play - as well as agreeing on the rest of the parts.

As they separated, Armin announced that he was heading for the kitchen to read the next chapter. The news brought smiles to the faces of some, while others let out a sigh.

"I'll run ahead to tell Petra to put on some tea." Connie sprinted towards the door.

"And I will go and inform the Commander and the Captain about it." Eld got onto his feet. "I know the Commander will be pleased, and that he will join us."

Armin nodded, a smile on his face. When he had first discovered the calendar and the secret inside it, he had thought it could bring a little joy to their lives. Still, this much? At first he had been a little disappointed that there were no little figurines or chocolate hiding behind the windows. If it had, then he could have given them out to his friends - making it so that every single one of them would have a little trinket to remember this year. However, the pieces of paper and the story written on them seemed to have given them more than a little figurine could. It had brought them together, and closer than ever.

So, after going to his room to get the calendar, opening the window, and taking the piece of paper with him, he went down to the kitchen. He was not the first. Those that had been informed of the reading had all been going around and telling the rest of the house. From what he could see, the only ones missing were Eld and the Commander.

"Here you go, Armin."

Armin thanked Petra as he accepted the cup of tea and tasted it with a kitten's tongue. He found a place by the table, and as soon as the Commander and Eld arrived, he began to read:

* * *

 _The ninth of December: The fifth sheep_

 _… they had broken a solemn promise …_

* * *

 _It was the year 1378 after Christ. Three godly sheep and a lamb with a bell stormed into the Hanseatic city of Hamburg. Behind the little ﬂock ran two shepherds. An elegantly dressed black king followed the shepherds. Behind the black man, a little girl was running as fast as her short legs would carry her. After the girl, an angel hovered above the ground._

 _It was Sunday, and early in the morning. A few people were about in the streets on their way to morning mass in the old Jacob Church. As soon as they caught sight of the procession of pilgrims they gestured with their arms. Some of them shaded their eyes, and one of them exclaimed, 'God be praised!'_

 _Something similar had happened in the town of Hanover a few years earlier. It was 1351, immediately after the fearful Plague that had cost so many human lives, not only in Germany, but in the whole of Europe. It was a Monday, and the market stalls on the great market square were about to open. Peasants in their worn, homespun clothes and market women in rough skirts had begun setting out their wares. All of them had lost some of their dear ones. It was just before the dawn of a new day._

 _It was then that a little ﬂock of sheep suddenly sprang into the market. One of the sheep overturned a table of vegetables. After the sheep there came a strange company. There were a couple of shepherds, and a man in exotic clothes, black-skinned like an African. The black man was followed by a white-clad ﬁgure with wings on its back. Right at the end there appeared a little girl. She stumbled over the shaft of a cart full of cabbages and lay there after the rest of the godly company had left the market._

 _Elisabet wept bitterly when she saw the angel Ephiriel and all the others disappearing. It was the second time on the long journey south that she had fallen and hurt herself. Now she had lost the procession of pilgrims and was surrounded by people she didn't know. Not only was she in a foreign country, she was in a foreign century too._

 _The people in the market were terriﬁed by what they had seen. They crowded round Elisabet, and a man poked her with his foot as if he was afraid to touch her. He wrinkled his nose and grunted horribly. But soon an old woman put Elisabet on her feet and tried to comfort her. She spoke a language Elisabet didn't understand._

 _'I'm going to Bethlehem,' said Elisabet._

 _And the market woman replied, 'Hamelin? Hamelin?'_

 _'No, no!' sobbed Elisabet. 'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

 _Those were her words. The next moment one of the angels of the Lord appeared in an arc of light above the market. Elisabet stretched out her arms towards the angel and cried, 'Ephiriel! Ephiriel!'_

 _The people in the market threw themselves to the ground, but the angel lifted Elisabet up into the air, ﬂew over the spire of the new Market Church, and was gone._

 _He put her down on a country road outside the town where the sheep, the shepherds, and Caspar the black king were waiting._

 _'Isn't that just what I was saying?' chuckled Joshua. 'When one of the lambs is lost, the shepherd must leave his ﬂock and ﬁnd the lamb that has wandered away.'_

 _He struck the ground with his crook. 'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

 _'How far is it to Bethlehem?' asked Elisabet._

 _'Not very far, my dear,' said Ephiriel._

 _After a while they came to a town on the bank of another river._

 _'This is Hamelin,' said Ephiriel. 'The river is called the Weser, and the year is 1304 after Jesus' birth. A few years ago a dreadful misfortune occurred in this town. Well, in a way they only had themselves to blame. They had broken a solemn promise, and that's something one should never do.'_

 _'What happened?' asked Elisabet._

 _'The town had been plagued by rats for a long time. But then a rat-catcher arrived in town. He played on a magic pipe, and the sound of the pipe made all the rats follow him. The piper led the rats to the river, where they all drowned.'_

 _'Wasn't that a good thing?'_

 _'Yes, of course, but the people in the town had promised the man a big reward if he could save them from the plague of rats. When he had rid them of the rats, they refused to pay what they owed him.'_

 _'What did the rat-catcher do then?'_

 _'He began to play on his magic pipe again, and all the children in the town were bewitched by the music of the pipe and followed him. They disappeared inside a huge mountain with the piper, and were never seen again.'_

 _Elisabet realised that maybe the woman in the market at Hanover had thought she was one of the children who had been lured into the mountain by the rat-catcher from Hamelin._

 _They were about to hurry on through Europe and even further back into history, when a sheep came running towards them along the road and joined the others. Now the ﬂock numbered ﬁve sheep._

 _Joshua struck the ground with his crook._

 _'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

* * *

"That's kinda fun," Petra commented as they finished today's chapter. "I've never heard the tale before, but for some reason it reminds me of someone."

The group looked at each other for an explanation. They then turned to Petra, but the answer came from an unexpected source.

"Yes… He does seem like the perfect candidate."

None of them had even noticed him walking into the kitchen, but there he sat; on the bench right next to Petra.

"Wait, you know what she is talking about, Captain?"

Instead of answering them, the Captain simply closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

"Oh, yes." Petra nodded. "We've both been on the receiving end of the magic of Oluo's flute."

"Wait a-ackk!" Ymir fought to catch her breath between choking on the bits of bread. Finally the battle was over and Ymir came out victorious. "What?!"

"Oluo can play!?" Connie chimed in.

"Don't know if that's the accurate word for it..."

Pouting, Petra gave Levi a friendly box on in the upper arm. "Oh, come on, Captain. It's not that bad."

"..."

"Really!"

Levi sighed. "It's not too bad."

"There, you see? Even the Captain enjoys it." The young woman smiled happily. "...even if just a little bit." she added as a deadly glare threatened to burn a hole through her skull.

"Strange," Hange grinned down at them from her place up on the mantelpiece. "I distinctly remember you telling me that you hated music." Her eyes became narrow as she leaned forward, almost tipping over, but at the last moment she caught her balance.

Ignoring her, the strongest warrior for humanity looked out through the window before getting on his feet and heading out the door.

"Wait-" Hange called after him.

Levi stopped, but it was not because of the scientist's plea, but for the loud hark from his second in command.

Just then, Eld had walked into the main room. He had been absent most of the day due to a special request from the Commander. However, here he stood and, looking at his face, it was clear that he was about to announce something.

And so he did, and a few minutes later:

"So, are everyone ready?"

They looked at each other and nodded.

"Okay," Eld continued. "The concept of this 'Secret Santa'-game is simple. All of your names are written on pieces of paper inside this box. I have made sure to mix them, and now all of you are to pick one name each from the box. The name that you receive will be the person that you are to give a gift to on the 24th of December. However, you are not allowed to say who you picked. That is to be a secret - even after the gift is given." He looked around at the soldiers. "Are the rules clear?"

There was another round of nodding, and Eld took this as a good sign.

"Okay." He handed the box to Krista. "If you would draw, and then pass it along?"

Krista nodded, picked a piece of paper, looked at it, and then handed the box to Ymir.

"Oh, I know what I'll do." Ymir grinned as she opened her piece of paper. "I'm gonna give myself a really nice wife. Or, what do you think, Krista?"

Krista giggled at this, but Eld was quick to take Ymir's note and look at it.

"Oh, and I forgot to mention one thing. If you are so unlucky - or lucky," he sent a curious look at the two girls, "to draw your own name, you have to give it back."

The rest of the drawing went without any problems. Sure, there were some sour faces - especially from captain Levi - but there were many happy ones a well. On one end of the table, Mikasa paled, her eyes widening as she glanced at the name on her note. Across from her, Krista let out a giggle, passing the box along. As the box reached Oluo, a record made on the most sour face in history was written down, while Connie got a cheeky smile on his lips.

Happy with how the event turned out, Eld looked around the room with a strangely proud expression on his face. That was, until he locked eyes with Hange. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was just something immensely unsettling in her eyes as she looked at him. And, for a minute, he began on a prayer, begging that he would not be the one with the dubious honor of receiving a gift from the scientist.

Looking down at his own, a small smile appeared in the corner of his mouth. He'd never thought that he'd actually get his wish fulfilled.

* * *

Returning to his room, Reiner fell heavily down on his mattress. As the rules had been explained, the ox of a man had closed his eyes, telling himself that this was the moment. As the box had been handed to him, he had painted a picture in his head, and closed his eyes. He felt around the box, and grabbed a piece of paper. Looking at it, his heart was full of hope, but this was soon crushed as he saw what six letters were written on it: A.

Not that he had anything against the girl, not at all; he had great admiration for her abilities - and to be honest, they even frightened him a bit. He was not against the idea of finding a gift for her, but the man had hoped for a different name. A special name. Her name.

But, what was done was done, and it was Mikasa who was to receive a gift. The question was what. He had thought about suitable gifts ever since the idea of this 'Secret Santa' was introduced, but his ideas had fallen into categories - and none of them fit Mikasa.

"What could she like..." he muttered to himself. She was not a girly girl, or the typical boy. She was not one for interesting researchable objects, nor the lover of sweets. It would take some time to think through, but luckily, time was something that they had. The gift didn't have to be done until the 23rd. Up til then, he just had to keep one eye open.

* * *

 **A/N:  
** Question of today: Do you do Secret Santa? With who? Any hints on who you got?

Please leave a review with your thoughts, okay?

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	11. 10 - December 10th

**A/N:  
** It's funny how you sometimes misses someone, and you don't even realize that you missed them until they're there in front of you.

I hope you like this chapter and that you guys leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter - as well as questions to my daily question - which I love reading :3

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 10TH

* * *

The morning had passed by in quiet. Nobody wanted to point it out, but when Rico and Sasha had set out on the 7th, the plan had been for them to return late on the 9th or early on the 10th. The early hours had come and past, and still there had been no sign of the girls.

After breakfast, they had been sent to their daily activities. However, what they did today was something quite different from what they had done so far. Although they were stationed outside the walls, when it came to titan activity, it had been quiet. This was of course a relief, but there was a negative aspect to it - the soldiers hadn't gotten the training they needed. Of course they could use the walls and towers of their new home, but the training that that would give them was not what they would need when going out to fight Titans. No, they needed somewhere else to train.

That decided, Commander Erwin Smith put together a team and sent them out in search of a new training ground. One could argue whether or not there were any picking out involved at all, because Levi had spent the last few days moping around, wanting to get out of the house. When that choice was made, it came as no surprise that the ones going with him were the members of the special operations squad.

The group had set out on horses as soon as they could, and they were not expected to be back for quite a while. This piece of news came as a joy to some. With Levi out of the house, it was now possible to move around with shoes inside, or leave the dirty dishes on the table while visiting the bathroom.

Some who enjoyed this newfound freedom were the group of boys from the 104th squad. They had gathered around the table - or rather: partly on the table. They were leaning back towards the wall, kicking their feet up on the table - with shoes still on their feet.

Up 'til now they had been discussing what else they would be able to do now that Levi was away, but then a comment about food had made them think of Sasha, and a silence fell over the room.

"Do you think something happened to them?" Jean asked.

"Don't say that!" Connie urged.

Bertolt shook his head, a worried expression on his face. "If you say that then..."

Jean raised a brow towards his taller comrade. He had always known that Bertolt was the softer one of the Reintolt duo, but to this degree… Well, he guessed there were many things that were still unknown.

"So..." Reiner coughed, clearing the silence. "We have the day off. We shouldn't just sit here."

Agreeing, Jean nodded.

"Should we go outside?" suggested Bertolt. "Then we would be able to see them if they-"

"Stop it, Bert." Although it might have come across as harsh, there was no ill will in his words. Reiner had know Bertolt ever since they were kids and he knew how much his friend cared about those around him. It had always been his strength, but also the biggest of a curse for a soldier to have. "Try not to think too much about them. It will do nothing-"

"THEY'RE HERE!"

The yell from outside made all those gathered around the table jump to their feet. And, without delay, they stormed through the door to see what was going on.

And there, sliding in through the gate as they were watching, they arrived.

"They're here!" Bertolt shouted in joy. He rushed over to the sleigh to wish them welcome when- "A-Annie?!"

In the sleigh, in between a tall pile of pelts and one of boxed meat, sat none other than Annie Leonhart.

Looking at the two girls, Jean turned to Sasha. "What happened to Rico? Is she not here?"

"No," The previous Commander jumped out of the sleigh. "Squad Leader Rico Brzenska decided to cut her internship early. Returning to wall Sheena, she realized that she couldn't afford to stay any longer and that the earlier the rulers got the knowledge from her trip, the better." He looked around at those that had gathered in the courtyard. "I see you did well. Not many survive the hard life of a soldier, and that is especially true for the scout regiment. I guess I did a good job for once."

Not knowing what to say, they nodded back attentively. Back when they had been recruits and first had had the pleasure to make their acquaintance with the bald man, they had all feared him. To them, Keith Shadis had been a big and crude man, and the enemy of fun. Still, through his hard training and harsh handling, they had been able to tap into the best of themself. They hadn't seen it back then, but seeing him now, they realized that that was the truth, and that Shadis indeed had been a great help to their survival.

"So... " Jean hesitated. "Are you here in her place, sir?"

"Not happy to see me, are you?"

"No, that's not-"

A burst of laughter from the older man's throat cut off Jean's apology and left him perplexed. "sir?"

"Oh, haha, it's fine, son." Getting his laughter under control, Keith viped his eyes and blew his nose. "I'm used to it. All soldiers under my responsibility holds hate for me. Not that it isn't justified - I admit that I am too hard on my recruits."

Suddenly, the tense atmosphere lifted, and they all felt their shoulders loosen up. Helping Annie and Sasha down from the sleigh, they began taking the new resources off the wagon and into the house.

"How about this one?" Reiner held up a ball of hay.

"Oh, let's see" Mike Zacharias walked up to it and began sniffing. After a few seconds - or an awkward eternity in the opinion of Reiner - Mike nodded to himself. "This one is for the horses. One ball should be opened and spread out on the floor, while the rest should be stacked in the back of the building - in the little room."

"Right." Reiner nodded and was on his way to to the stables, when Mike continued:

"Not this type though,"

"Huh? What?" Looking over his shoulder, Reiner raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean 'not this type'?"

"There are two types of hay here," The blonde man explained. "It's the empty one meant for the horses, and then there is this one." He reach into the sleigh and pulled out something that looked pretty much like the ball Reiner already held in his arms.

"What's that?"

"These are not simple hay, but barley." Mike took a deep whiff of the stuff - the barley - and smiled. "These are of good quality - I see the Commander did good on his promise of giving a little extra for this Christmas tradition."

"Okay?" Reiner asked, still confused. How Mike could get so into the smells of things was a mystery for him - especially now. Hay? What was so interesting about a friggin ball of hay?

"We've cleared out the basement, already."

"Oh, hi, Gunther. I thought you were out with the Captain."

Gunther nodded. "I was. We were riding for a while in the search for a fitting training area, and finally we found one accepted by the Captain. It was a good spot indeed, and the rest of the group is still there to clean it up."

"Ah, I see."

"And I was sent back to make sure that the basement was ready for this… hobby of yours."

Looking almost offended, Mike straightened to his considerable height to look down upon Gunther. "It's not just a hobby. This is for the good of all of us - even the Commander thinks it's a good idea."

If the group hadn't known better, they might not have recognized the appearance of a frown on the member of the special operations squad. "Well, I don't think so, and the Captain didn't look too pleased when he heard about it either."

The silence that followed felt even more uncomfortable than the one earlier, and who knows how long it might have dragged on for, if it hadn't been for the shriek from the stables.

"Annie!"

Storming towards the stables, Bertolt's head was filled with images of Titans. Could they have arrived together with the sleigh? Were they under attack? "Why now? Of all times?"

"Annie! Are you-" He stopped abruptly as his eyes took in what was in front of him. "... okay?"

In the stable, on the floor in between the gigantic troughs of water, laid Annie, her body covered with a good mix of what seemed to have been water and horse feces.

"Annie?"

Ignoring him, Annie hurried to push herself back on her feet. Avoiding his eyes, she grabbed onto the trough beside her and swung herself back onto her feet as if nothing had happened.

"Are you okay?"

"... I'm fine."

"What happened? Did you slip and fall?"

"..." Ignoring him, she continued sweeping the floor.

"What's wrong?" Gunter turned the corner and took in the situation. "What is going on?"

"Nothing, sir." Annie straightened her posture.

Gunther let out a snort. "It didn't sound like it was nothing." His eyes narrowed, "Please "

"She just-"

"Yes, sir." Annie cut her tall friend off. "I will."

Confused, Bertolt looked at his friend questionly, but once again she avoided his eyes.

"I see some things never change." Keith Shadis had made his way over to them and, having observed the conversation he sighed. "You're still as talkative as ever, cadet Leonhart."

"..."

"So, how about you?

"Me?" Bertold blinked. "Well, I'm..."

Keith nodded as if he had gotten the answer he was looking for. Then, hearing footsteps in the snow, he turned. "Ah, commander Erwin Smith."

"Commander Keith."

Keith let out a snort, but his eyes hid a smile. "It's been too long, Erwin. How is everything holding up?"

A dark shadow fell across the Commander's face. "It could have been worse."

"I see." Keith nodded in understanding.

He himself had also been the commander of the scouts once. Times of success were rare for their group. No matter what they achieved, there was always a price to pay - a price measured in sacrifices, in limbs, and lives lost. It was hard, seeing them fall around you while knowing that you were the one who made the decision that sent them to their graves. It was enough to make a strong man wake up to wet pillows each morning.

"Do you still have it?" Keith asked, eyes twinkling.

"Let's talk later. Right now, I feel like a good cup of coffee would do you well."

"It would."

"Gunther. Make sure the coffee is ready." Receiving a nod from the soldier, he turned his attention back on Keith. "Until it's done, do you mind if I ask you a something? "

"Go ahead."

"This castle… You've been here before, haven't you?"

The imposing ex-commander nodded. "Many years ago, when I first received the title of Commander. Why do you ask?"

Looking deep into the face of the older man. Erwin asked what had been on his mind this entire month: "Do you know something about any mystical Christmas calendar?"

"Mystical calendar? No, I'm afraid I don't." He shook in head. "What is it?"

Sighing, Erwin leaned back against the wall. "It's something one of my men found when we first moved into this place. Armin Arlert?"

Keith nodded. He recognized the name. "The little, smart kid, with the blond hair. Yeah, I remember him well."

Erwin nodded, and so he began telling the story of the Calendar and the little pieces of paper within. About the story and about the girl, Elisabet, and the rest of the strange travelers. Keith listened, and as everything was told, he looked distantly into the air.

"No, I can't say I've heard of anything like that. As I said, it's been many, many years since I was stationed here, and even then, I wasn't much down in the basement - that was where the researchers worked on their experiments and read books." He laid a heavy hand on Erwin's shoulder. "So no, I haven't heard any talk of it. They might have known about it, for all I know - they didn't talk much about what was down there. It was a time where there were few to none discoveries, and this 'calendar' you are talking about doesn't sound like it would have had any connection to the advances of the human race."

"I see..." Erwin helt as his heart fell hard. Not that he had expected the ex-commander to know all about the mystical Christmas Calendar, but as he had been informed of his arrival, Erwin had let himself feel hope that there might be some answers.

There hadn't been.

Still, raising his head up; looking at the clear sky above them, Erwin told himself what he had been telling himself for the last week - the calendar might have some answers built into it.

Outside, Bertolt hadn't moved much. It had been such a long time since he had been able to see Annie and talk with her. In his mind, their reunion would have smiles - or at least a little one - but all that he had received so far was a dark stare, before she continued on her work in the stables.

"Hey there, Staretolt."

Swirling around, his ears suddenly burning as if on fire, Bertolt found Reiner standing behind him.

"Come on, Bert. You're gonna end up a creep if you keep looking at her like a creep."

"What?!" The red color got more intense and moved to his cheek. "N-No, I-I didn't s-stare."

"Aha?" Reiner gave him a look, banishing Bertolt's hopes to explain the situation away entirely. "Well, it's your lucky day, buddy. Why don't we go have a little chat with her?"

* * *

Armin had just opened the window marked with the number '10' and picked out the little piece of paper, when his attention was grabbed by the picture hiding inside the window. There, on something that reminded him of churches, were something else as well. He couldn't quite make out what it was, but there was something white.

Giving up analyzing the picture, Armin headed downstairs. However, as he passed the windows, something made him stop. There, by the stable. He looked closer. Yes, it really was Annie. He had heard of her arrival, but he had yet to see her. Armin had already decided to head out at once, when he noticed who she was talking with.

"Huh, I didn't know she were that good friends with them."

So, instead of going outside, Armin went down to the others - all sitting around the table with a nice cup of coffee or tea each.

"Commander?"

Erwin nodded and accepted the piece of paper before reading.

* * *

 _The tenth of December: Impuriel_

 _… a few seconds later what Elisabet had thought was a bird took off  
_ _and flew down in a spiral towards the pilgrims …_

* * *

 _It happened at Paderborn at the end of the thirteenth century. Into the little town halfway between Hanover and Cologne rushed a frisky ﬂock of sheep, followed by two shepherds, a black king, a little girl and an angel with wings outspread._

 _It was early in the morning before the town was awake; only a night watchman was out in the streets. He called out sternly to the two shepherds who were chasing their ﬂock of sheep through the town. The next moment he caught sight of the angel hovering above the cobblestones. Then he raised his arms to the sunrise and exclaimed, 'Alleluia! Alleluia!'_

 _Whereupon he retreated round a corner and left the streets to the godly procession._

 _They stopped in front of a church in the middle of the town._

 _'That's St Bartholomew's Church,' said Ephiriel. 'It was built in the eleventh century and is called after one of Jesus's twelve apostles. It is told of Bartholomew that he journeyed all the way to India to tell the Indians about Jesus.'_

 _Elisabet had noticed something strange. She pointed up at the spire on the church tower._

 _'There's a white bird sitting up there,' she said._

 _Ephiriel smiled. 'If only there were,' he said._

 _A few seconds later, what Elisabet had thought was a bird took off and ﬂew down in a spiral towards the pilgrims. She realised that the bird wasn't a bird after all. What had been sitting on the church spire was an angel. But it was not a grown angel: it was no larger than she was herself._

 _The child angel alighted at Elisabet's feet._

 _'Wonderful!' he exclaimed. 'My name is Impuriel and I'm coming with you to Bethlehem.'_

 _He whirled around a bit, peered up at Caspar and the two shepherds, then looked up at Ephiriel and said, 'I've been waiting for a quarter of an eternity.'_

 _Caspar stood thinking. It was obvious he had something on his mind._

 _'A quarter of an eternity,' he began. 'That's about 66,289 years . .. or about 156,498 years . . . or more exactly, 439 million 811 thousand 977 years and 4 seconds . . . or perhaps even a little more. It's not easy to say how long a quarter of an eternity lasts. First you have to ﬁnd out how long a whole eternity lasts, then you have to divide it by four, but exactly how long a whole eternity lasts is very difﬁcult to calculate. No matter which number you start with, eternity will last even longer. So one can say that a quarter of an eternity is as long as a whole eternity. Even a thousandth of an eternity is really just as long as the whole of the rest of eternity. This is extremely difﬁcult to understand, for calculating whole or half eternities is a matter for heaven alone.'_

 _The angel Impuriel looked offended. 'But I've been sitting on top of the church tower for hours,' he said._

 _'Very possibly, but that's not the same as sitting there for a quarter of an eternity,' said Caspar._

 _To avoid a quarrel between the Wise Man and the cherub, and not just a quarter of a quarrel, Joshua struck the cobblestones with his crook, and said, 'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

 _They set off through the town and out along roads and cattle trails. Impuriel sprang in front of the ﬁve sheep, so the pilgrimage was guarded by angels at both ends._

 _They saw many towns and villages, but didn't stop until they came to the old Roman colonial city of Cologne on the bank of the River Rhine. Ephiriel had explained that their route through Europe had been planned so that they should be seen by as few people as possible._

 _'Angel-time says it's 1272 years after Christ,' he said. 'They've begun building the great cathedral of Cologne, but it won't be ﬁnished for hundreds of years.'_

 _Joshua banged with his crook: 'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

 _Impuriel said, 'Glorious countryside, isn't it? We're going up the Rhine Valley. There are fortresses and castles, steep Vineyards and Gothic cathedrals, dandelions and rhubarb.'_

 _They hurried along the bank of the biggest river Elisabet had ever seen. The valley became narrower and narrower and the mountains higher and higher. They ran past small towns and villages. Out on the river ﬂoated an occasional barge._

 _As they sped through the beautiful landscape, Elisabet turned towards Ephiriel and asked whether he had met Impuriel before._

 _'All the angels in heaven have known each other through all eternity,' said Ephiriel, laughing._

 _'Are there an awful lot of you?'_

 _'Yes, a whole host.'_

 _'How can you all know each other, then?'_

 _'We've had the whole of eternity to get to know each other, and you see, that's a very long time.'_

 _Elisabet had to think hard so as to understand what Ephiriel meant._

 _The angel explained a bit more._

 _'If you have a party that lasts for three hours, you shouldn't invite more than ﬁve or six guests, and then everyone will be able to talk to everyone else. But if the party lasts for three whole days, you can easily have ﬁfty or more guests.' '_

 _Elisabet nodded. She had discussed this with Mama when it was her birthday._

 _'So?' she said._

 _'The heavenly party has lasted for all eternity,' said Ephiriel._

 _'Do all the angels have different names?'_

 _'Of course. Otherwise we couldn't call out to each other. Otherwise we wouldn't have been persons either.'_

 _And Ephiriel began to say all the angel names, one after the other._

 _'The angels in heaven are called Ariel, Beriel, Curruciel, Daniel, Ephiriel, Fabiel, Gabriel, Hammarubiel, Immanuel, Joachiel, Chachaduriel, Luxuriel, Michael, Narriel . . .'_

 _'That's enough!' said Elisabet. 'How long would it take you to say all the angel names?'_

 _'I would have to go on for all eternity.'_

 _'That's pretty good going, to remember all the names by heart,' said Elisabet._

 _'With all of eternity at your disposal it's not so difﬁcult.'_

 _'And I think it's very clever to think up so many different names all ending in -el,' Elisabet went on._

 _Ephiriel nodded. 'God's imagination is inﬁnite, just as there are inﬁnitely many stars in the sky. No angel is exactly like another, nor are humans either. You can make a thousand identical machines, but they are so easy to make that even a human can do it.'_

 _Finally the angel Ephiriel spoke some words that Elisabet hid in her heart. 'Every person on earth is a unique work of creation.'_

* * *

It was already evening when the rest of the special operations squad and the captain finally returned. All looked tired, but pleased. Food was put on the table, and as they ate, they told about the new training grounds.

"That sounds promising," Erwin gave a pleased nodd. "Could we take it in use as soon as this week?"

Levi nodded. It shouldn't be a problem.

"Good. Then we will make plans for that." Erwin rose from his chair. "Everyone should get some sleep. Tomorrow will be another long day." He looked around on the soldiers as they got onto their feet as well, when his eyes fell onto the two new guests. "That's right. We have yet to find you two somewhere to sleep."

"Keith, unfortunately we don't have any extra rooms. Would you mind bunking with Mike and Hange?"

Keith shrugged his shoulders. "A bed is a bed, isn't it? As long as I'm given a bed, I won't complain."

"How about you, Annie?" Erwin smiled to the girl. "I presume you'd rather share a room with your peers. It's been some time since you last saw them, right?"

"..."

"So," Erwin continued: "Unfortunately the girl's room is all filled up, but there are still vacant beds both in room 4 and room 5."

Hearing their room number, Jean held up four fingers while giving her a cheeky wink; receiving a facepalm from Reiner and a shy smile from Bertolt.

This was followed by the younger boys from room 5 grinning at her. Although the high-five between Connie and Eren was a bit unsettling, she appreciated the smile Armin sent her.

"Annie. How about-"

"I'll stay with room 5" Annie answered, her answer stringent and clear.

"Annie?"

Reiner looked at her, a weird glint in his eye, then, shrugging his shoulders, it was gone.

"Nice!" Connie smiled from ear to ear. In his head, the fact that he was going to share a room with a girl was as nailed to his focus as nothing else.

"Yes. It's going to be nice to have you there." Armin nodded. He had also missed Annie. He wasn't quite sure why she was there, but he still appreciated having her around. Although they had few things in common, the few talks they had had, had been good. Having her there just seemed right somehow.

* * *

 **A/N:  
** So, how about you? Are you gonna meet up with friends or family  
\- that you usually don't hand with - this Christmas?

Please leave a review with your thoughts, okay?

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	12. 11 - December 11th

**A/N:  
** There are a lot of things that needs to be done with it's Christmas and Winter. Today, we'll follow the troublemakers as they receive their punishment. Can you guess who it is?

Make sure you leave a review after reading the chapter :P

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 11TH

* * *

The snow had fallen heavily since yesterday, and as they woke up, they found a thick layer on the ground. On any other day, this would have brought nothing but sighs, but today was different. Today was the day they all had their day off - well, except two people:

"It's not fair." Connie complained as he pushed with everything that he had to move the snow blocking the passage from the house to the stables. "Just because we ate a little snack."

"I know," Sasha pushed her weight into Connie's back, and the snow slowly moved.

Sasha had been looking forward to returning to this place. Sure, it had been a good thing to get away for a little while and to be able to go back to see the walls and the city, but she had soon began to miss all of her friends. The city had never been for her. She had grown up far away from the nearest town and spent much of her life hunting down animals for dinner. This whole city thing was nothing like that. There were too many people and not enough animals. Not that she hated it, but it was almost as if the presence of so many around her squeezed all the juice out of her. So, when she had been told that they would leave that morning, she had felt relieved.

There was one catch with the return, though. She didn't know until the evening before, but Rico sat down with her and told her the news. She would not return to the scouts, but instead head to back to the garrison and make sure to share what she had learned of the time she had spent with the scouts. Instead, someone else was to travel back in her stead, and veteran scout would lead them as a guide. These news had been sad to hear - Sasha had grown fond of the white haired woman. However, the sight that met her the next day had been the nail to her coffin.

"Cadet Blouse… I see you still hold a fondness of potatoes"

"K-Keith! Instructor Keith Shadis!"

The travel would have been an utter nightmare if it hadn't been for Annie. Sasha had never gotten to know the blond girl well, and the little she got, wasn't promising a heartwarming friendship. Still, in this situation, Annie was like a safe haven - something familiar and safe.

Pushing yet another portion of snow off the path, Sasha let out a sigh. To think that she would have to spend her first whole day back with her friends removing the snow… Well, at least she was not alone, and she couldn't really complain about the company either.

Although they had had their ups and downs throughout the years, Sasha had grown to consider Connie her best friend. The tiny, monkey of a boy had always been able to make her laugh.

It was strange, she had never been able to get along with someone to that degree before. Well, she thought to herself, it was probably something in what they said about relationships growing when they were facing dangers and death. Death. There had been so much death in the last couple of years. Living in the village, they had had accidents once in awhile that had ended up with the deaths of a few villagers, but this, it was a totally different thing. In the village the death was caused by animals winning the fight - the fight that was self defense. But this… There was no reasons for the Titan - human war. It was a mystery in itself, and it was the meaningless fight and the many lives that were lost that burdened the huntress the most.

Still, although the recent years had been horrible for the human race, something good had come out of it. She had been able to see more of the world, and she had been able to meet new friends. Connie, Krista, Ymir - all of them. It had been the first time Sasha had created such strong bonds. However, if those bonds were to break, if she was to lose any of them… It would be worse than before, she knew that. When the mist of the battle of Trost district had cleared up, and they had found what remained of the 104th Training Corps, it had been all they could do to keep together and cry for their losses.

Thomas, Hannah and Franz, Samuel, Nac, Mylius, Tom, Mina Carolina and Marco...

"Sasha, you alright?""

Without her noticing it, tears had appeared in her eyes.

"Oh, yeah." She hurried to wipe them away. Turning to look at their work achievement, she noticed something. "Look at the snow! There's so much of it!"

And there was. The snow had kept coming down as they removed it, and it now covered the paths they had created with a thin layer of frost .

"Oh, man." Connie hit his forehead. "Don't tell me we have to do it all over again?"

"What?" Sasha put a smile on her face. "And I thought you were good at this." The smile grew more genuine, and a wickedness grew into it. "What was it that you called yourself? The Overly Attentive Scrubbing and Sweeping Master?"

"Ey!" Connie blushed. "How about you - you said you were the Master of all Brooms and Buckets."

"Only because I didn't want to shame you to death."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah?"

Before she could react, something white hit her in the face.

"What the-"

"Haha, I got you there, you big mouth-" Connie's laugh ended abruptly by a snowball blocking his mouth.

"Big mouth, did you just say that- Eyh!" Pulling her hat down over her ears, Sasha chased after Connie. It was an impossible task though. The monkey of a boy was far too light on his feet, and before she could even reach the corner of the tower, he was all the way over at the next one.

"Can't catch me!"

Poorly chosen words came out of Connie's mouth, and soon they were running around in circles.

"Wait!"

Without warning, Connie stopped and, being too close, Sasha crashed into him.

Irritated, Sasha gave her friend a small push."What?"

"How about we make an igloo?"

Sasha's eyes lit up. "Yes!"

The two of them got to work. Forming the snow into huge snowballs, they discovered it was perfect for igloo making, and the two troublemakers felt more encouraged than ever; continuing at an even quicker pace.

As they finished up, they went inside, hungry after the tiring work, finding Erwin unfolding a scrap of paper:

* * *

 _The eleventh of December: Balthazar_

 _… many people are terribly frightened  
_ _when they see one of the angels of the Lord …_

* * *

 _Five sheep, two shepherds, two angels, one king of Orient, and a little girl from Norway were speeding up the Valley of the Rhine 1199 years after Jesus was born. They could just glimpse a church tower on the other side of the river. Ephiriel told them it was Mainz Cathedral._

 _'We have to cross the river,' said Joshua. 'It's a pity, because we shall have to frighten another poor ferryman and explain that we're pilgrims on our way to the Holy Land.'_

 _'We shall have to try to do it gently,' said Ephiriel._

 _'I can see a boat down there,' exclaimed Impuriel._

 _He ﬂew high in the air, beating his short wings in the direction of the boat, with the rest of the procession after him, and started talking to a man who was sitting on the river bank._

 _'Can you row us across? We're going all the way to Bethlehem, and we don't have much time if we're to get there before Jesus is born. We're on a godly errand, you see, so we're not just anybody.'_

 _Ephiriel hurried after him. When he had caught up with Impuriel he nodded apologetically at the ferryman and said to Impuriel, 'How many times do I have to remind you that ﬁrst of all you must say, "Fear not"?'_

 _But the ferryman, who was unusually and splendidly dressed in a long red cloak, was not scared by the cherub. He turned to Ephiriel and said, 'My name is Balthazar, Second Wise Man and King of Sheba. I'm going the same way as you.'_

 _'Then you are one of us,' said Ephiriel._

 _All the same, he had to give Impuriel a little scolding._

 _'This time things fortunately turned out well. But you must always start by saying, "Fear not". Don't you realise that many people are terribly frightened when they see one of the angels of the Lord, at any rate when we beat our wings.'_

 _'Sorry!' said Impuriel._

 _'All right, all right,' replied Ephiriel._

 _'But isn't it odd that they should be so frightened just because they've seen an angel?' argued Impuriel. 'I've never so much as harmed a cat. In fact, I couldn't count all the times I've helped a poor cat down from a tall tree. Of course the cats ought to learn once and for all not to climb too high up in the trees, but when we do come and help them, they're not in the slightest bit frightened. It's always humans who are so terribly nervous.'_

 _The two Wise Men had embraced each other._

 _'It's been a very long time,' said the one ._

 _'And it was a very, very long way from the Rhine,' answered the other._

 _'But it's very, very, very pleasant to see you again.'_

 _They had their arms round each other, so it was not easy to say who had said what. But now the whole of the pilgrims' procession went on board the boat. The Kings of Orient each took an oar and rowed across the river, which was almost as wide as a stretch of ocean._

 _On the other side Ephiriel pointed up at the beautiful cathedral. It seemed a little dumpy and hadn't such a tall tower as many of the other churches they had passed, but it was much older._

 _'The year is 1 186 after Christ. Work on this cathedral began more than two hundred years ago. At that time almost a thousand years had passed since the one seed was sown in the earth so that a ﬁeld of churches and cathedrals should grow over the whole world.'_

 _'A whole ﬁeld of churches!' repeated Impuriel. 'It would be fun to work out how many kilos of stone and timber have been used to celebrate Jesus's birth, not to mention how many cakes have been baked or how many parcels have been packed. Christmas is the world's biggest birthday party, for everybody in the Whole world is invited to join in. That's why the party has lasted for so many years.'_

 _Joshua struck the ground with his crook._

 _'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

 _The pilgrims hurried along the west bank of the Rhine. It was early in the morning, so that very few people would be scared when, in the course of a short second or two, they saw ﬁve sheep, two shepherds, two Kings of Orient, two angels of the Lord, and a little girl dressed in clothes very different from those that were usual in the Middle Ages._

 _When they tumbled into the town of Worms in the year of Our Lord 1162, they met a rider on horseback — a soldier who had been out on night duty, perhaps. The angel Impuriel ﬂew over to the man, buzzed round him like a excited bumble bee, and repeated 'Fear not! Fear not! Fear not!'_

 _The poor man was extremely scared. He spurred on his horse and gaIIoped away round some low buildings. He didn't even have time to say 'Alleluia' or 'God be praised'._

 _'You only need to say it once,' Ephiriel chided Impuriel, 'but you must say it in a gentle, soft, heavenly voice. "Fe-ear no-ot!" you must say. It's a good idea to keep your arms down too, to show you're not carrying a weapon.'_

 _Balthazar the Wise Man pointed up at a cathedral with six towers._

 _'Everywhere and at all times people have stretched their arms out to God,' he said. 'The church towers point up to heaven too, but they last much longer.'_

 _The shepherds bent their heads respectfully at these wise words, and Elisabet felt she had to repeat them to herself before she was quite certain what he meant._

 _Joshua said, 'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

 _In the city of Basle on the southern bank of the Rhine they stopped in front of another big cathedral._

 _'The time tells us that 1119 years have passed since the Christ-child was born,' announced Ephiriel. 'This cathedral with ﬁve naves has just celebrated its centenary. But for hundreds of years Basle has been an important crossroads for travellers who have journeyed through the Alps between Italy and Northern Europe. We are going to follow the same route over the St Bernard Pass.'_

 _'To Bethlehem!' said Joshua the shepherd, striking his crook on the ground. 'To Bethlehem!'_

 _Whereupon they set off upwards through the Swiss mountains._

* * *

Folding the piece of paper, Armin had a strange smile on his face. What was written about freight, was true in more than one way. It got him thinking. How had the human first reacted to the existence of Titans? He pondered this, however, he was not allowed to linger in these thoughts for long.

"WOW!" Connie's outburst made many turn their head. "That was the best thing I've ever tasted!"

A few of the others headed towards the source of the sound, and curious, Armin did too.

Standing in front of the stove, Connie was close to hovering, if his ecstatic face was a hint. His eyes were rolled back in his head, and there was a heavenly grin on his lips. Other than that, the energetic boy seemed just as usual. The only thing was what he was holding in his hands.

"What's that?" Armin sniffed, trying to get a good take on the scent, but, although there was something about it that he recognized, it wasn't something he could name.

"Hot chocolate," Petra smiled at him. "Seems the Commander didn't hold back when ordering new supplies."

"You mean..." Armin gazed into the large kettle that was on the stove.

She nodded. "Yes, the chocolate was one of the things that the Commander added to the list. The barley for Mike as well. Who knows, maybe even more?"

That surprised Armin. He couldn't claim to know the Commander well, but from what he had learned, the Commander was a man among the wisest and most tactical leaders of the whole army. He was one that wasn't afraid of challenging the system if he meant that it would lead to something better. He'd seen it personally back in the courtroom. Had it been any other officer, Eren would undoubtedly have been taken by the military police and killed after being subjected to countless experiments. But, because the Commander Erwin Smith chose to stand up and play a dangerous game, Eren was able to walk away with only a bruised body.

The Commander was known for things like that. He bent and stretched the rules until there were close to nothing left to resemble what had once been the rule. But this, the strange order of importing luxurious - and straight up luxuriant goods - that was something that didn't fit into the story. What would the leaders say when they found out about it - or the people themselves? That was maybe even worse; having their money go to the enjoyment of the soldiers instead of life-important supplies.

Still, what was done was done, so, shaking these troubling thoughts out of his head, he got in line to receive his own cup of brown liquid.

"Here," Petra handled him the cup. "It's still pretty warm, so it might be better to wait a minute or two."

Armin nodded, and then took place at the table beside his friends. They all waited - all except Eren that had been a bit too eager and had burned his tongue. At last the liquid seemed of a good temperature, and Armin carefully put the cup to his mouth and drank.

It was amazing. Never before had he tasted anything like this.

He was about to take another sip, but as he raised the cup, his eyes caught onto something happening outside. Was that Bertolt and Reiner? What were they doing? Looking through the window, he saw a sudden push from Bertols, and then, before he could blink, Reiner had thrown his tall friend over his shoulder and down in the snow.

"Are they fighting?"

Eren, sitting next to him blinked before sending a carefree look at the two. "Ah, yeah. But I wouldn't take it too seriously."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, it looks like a little thing. Anyway," he took another sip. "I just saw them with Annie."

"With Annie?" Armin asked.

"Yeah, they walked up to her, and then they went into the igloo. Seems like they're out now though."

Had Annie gone with them into the igloo? Not that it was anything wrong with them doing that, but Armin just found it strange that the asocial Annie suddenly seemed to have such a close bond with Reiner Braun and Bertolt Hoover. Also, Eren had said that they had went inside together, however, right now he could only see the boys. What about Annie? Could she still be inside of the igloo?

Still in thought, Armin got up from the bench and over to Petra.

"Can I have another cup? I want to bring some for Annie."

"Sure."

"Thanks." Armin accepted the cup, and then moved as carefully as he could towards the door - doing his best not to spill any of the delicious drink. The path, although plowed, was still a bit slippery, and it took Armin more effort than he had thought to get over to the iglo. Stopping in front of it, he bent halfway down, calling into it: "Annie?"

At first there was no answer, but when he tried again, Annie called back.

Carefully, Armin ducked and crawled through the opening - cups first.

"Here," he told Annie as he reached the inside. "For you."

Annie raised a brow, but accepted the cup offered to her. "What is it?"

"It's something called warm chocolate." Armin explained. "Have you heard of it?"

"Yeah..." Annie muttered, taking suspicious sniffs at the cup. "There was talk about it within wall Sheena." Finally she turned to look at Armin. "How did you get it?"

"Commander Erwin put it on the lists as a special item for Rico to buy. Didn't you know? I mean, you were in the sleigh."

Annie shook her head. "No, I just joined at the last moment."

Armin nodded unsure. "Why, though?" He finally asked. "Why did you come with them? I know we didn't talk much when we were training to be soldiers together, but I can say that I have heard you say many times that you wanted to be a top student so that you would be able to get inside the walls and be able to live there without having to fight the Titans."

"..."

"It might not be my place to ask you this, but I've been wondering about it ever since I heard about you coming here."

Annie stayed quiet, but then, just as Armin had given up hope for an answer, she took a sip and begun to talk.

"It wasn't like I volunteered to come here. I never would have done anything like that. However, the girl I share a room with, she told me that there was a higher up that had just returned from a mission with the scouts."

"Rico"

Annie nodded.

"And she convinced you?"

"Not exactly. She didn't say much, but when I said I was in the same group as you, she opened up a bit." Annie took a sip, and Armin could swear that he saw the hints of a smile.

"Did you miss us?" he teased.

"..." Annie froze, and for a moment Armin thought he'd upset her, but then she looked back down at her drink. "Not really..."

Well, Armin thought, that was a 'no' at least. Still, he could feel there was something beneath the surface here, something that she wasn't telling him.

"But Reiner and Bertolt…"

Her lips pursed together to a straight line.

"I didn't know you were friends. I mean, you didn't spend much time with them earlier, did you?"

"... I guess not."

A silence fell over them, and to Armin's surprise, it was Annie who chose to break it.

"It's the same with you."

"What?" Armin blinked. "What do you mean?"

"You and me."

"Uhm, I-"

"I assume you base your assumption on what you have seen. Yes, I have talked with them, but if you were looking at yourself in this moment, then that would IDENTIFY the two of us as friends."

Armin thought about what she had said. It was true what she said. Besides the two times he had seen the tall girl in conversations with Reiner and Bertolt, he had nothing else to base their friendship on.

"I see your point. "

Armin scratched the back of his head. "Still, I wouldn't mind considering you a friend."

The look Annie sent him sent shivers down his spine. He didn't know why, but there was something holding in her eye; almost like a conflict of colors clashing together. "Not that I expect you to feel the same way though," he hurried to add. "Everyone have their own definition of-" "I hope that you don't mind me thinking so."

"It's okay..."

She didn't return his declaration of friendship, but Armin didn't need her to. In truth, the fact that she hadn't denied any friendly bond between them, was more than enough for him. He knew that she wasn't a talkative person, and that he had never seen her acting like a friend around anyone. Could it be that she didn't have any friends? No, that wasn't possible, was it? Everyone had a friend - one way or another.

"Annie..." Armin hesitated. There was a chance that she wouldn't like the question, or rather that he wouldn't like the answer, but still… "Who… Who is your best friend?"

"..."

It had been wrong to ask, and Armin was about to say he was sorry and that he didn't need to know, that he took the question back, when:

"Hello? Anybody in there?"

Through the tunnel came a bush of blonde hair, followed by the face, bangs and head of Mike Zacharias.

"There you are, Armin." Mike greeted. "I've been looking all over for you."

"Oh?" Armin was puzzled. "Why?"

"Krista wants to hear today's paper story."

"But-" Armin began, but then it struck him. They had been many gathered to read the chapter today, but when he thought of it, he didn't remember seeing Krista among them. "Oh..."

Getting down on his knees to crawl out, Armin turned to Annie to explain himself, but before he could do so, Annie gave him a nod. Nodding back at her, Armin crawled outside.

He felt bad. From the very first day, Krista had been one of the few that had taken an interest in the calendar from the very first, and she had been there every day to listen to a new part of it. But not today… They had been so many gathered, that he had just assumed that they were all there. But Krista hadn't been, and he had forgotten to inform her. With a feeling of guilt, her hurried over to the house, and hurried into the kitchen to find the goddess.

"Oh, Armin. Hi."

"Krista!"

The little, blonde girl was sitting by the fire; stretching her hands out in front of her to warm her fingers.

"I'm so sorry!" Armin bowed. "I thought you were there and-" No. That sounded even worse than just forgetting to tell her about it.

He was about to make it right, but Krista shook her head.

"It's okay. I understand. I know you didn't mean it."

Armin smiled at her. "Well, still, it was my fault, so I should make it right." Saying that, the two of them smiled, and then headed off to Armin's room to find the calendar.

Watching them, a small smile spread on Ymir's lips.

"You're not joining them?"

"Neh," She stretched and found a better position on the bench.

Reiner looked at her, wondering. Ever since he had first med the dark skinned girl, there had been few things to learn about her except the fact that she didn't care for much besides Krista. They had arrived at the training camps together, and had also spent most of their time together when there. Reiner couldn't help but feel jealous. To have to see his goddess being constantly being tracked down by that woman, never being able to talk to her alone for more than a few minutes at a time - and that was if he was lucky.

But now, Reiner could not understand Ymir's action - or rather; the lack thereof. Whenever someone else had grown close to Krista, Ymir had alway made sure to step in between and make it clear that Krista belonged to her. Not only had this been done when the men came to close for her liking, but even Sasha had been pulled off of Krista when Ymir felt it was too much. But not now. Now she was just sitting there while smiling, watching the little princess walk up the stairs to go to a boy's bedroom.

"You're really gonna let them go up there by themselves?" Reiner tried. "What if they end up alone on the bed?"

"They will be fine." Ymir snorted before turning her head to look out the windows and into the snow outside. "I trust Krista."

* * *

 **A/N:  
** Question of today: Have you ever seen 'The Journey to the Christmas star'?

Please leave a review with your thoughts, okay?

 **Please like /follow me if you enjoy my stuff:**  
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	13. 12 - December 12th

**A/N:  
** You know when everything is perfect and you're totally enjoying yourself doing something you love? Yeah? Well, get ready to have it crushed down XD

Don't forget to tell e what you thought of today's chapter - as well your answer to my daily question - in a review :3

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 12TH

* * *

There had been many requests from the soldiers, and finally the Commander had given in. Ever since they had heard of the training area, the subject had been swirling around the house. At first he had hoped that it was the enthusiasm for the ground itself and the chance to get in some proper training, but that seemed to be wrong. No, what everyone was talking about was not the training ground, but what laid beside it.

"I can't believe that we're doing this!" Sasha squealed as she flew by Mikasa on the ice. "Awooo-ho-hooo."

Watching her roommate spin around on the ice , Mikasa had to smile. It was true that Sasha was the freest spirit among them, but seeing her out in the free like this was something else.

Having heard the news, of those wanting to being able to go out to spend some time at the little lake, Mikasa had begun wondering. All that she had ever wanted since she moved in with Eren and his family, was to be able to go away somewhere - away from all the fighting and all the Titans - to a place where they could just let down their hair and relax their shoulders. She knew that this wasn't it. This was not something that could be forever, but still, even for just a day, Mikasa wanted to try out the life that she had longed for for such a long time.

"Eren?"

He looked up at her. "Yeah?"

"Do… Do you want to build a snowman?"

A few seconds it looked as if he might say no, but then… it was as he brushed off all the quarrels and conflicts, and turned into a child again.

"Yeah, sure." He got up from the log he had been sitting on and walked over to her. "But I'm making the body, okay?"

"Okay." Smiling from ear to ear, Mikasa followed her re-discovered brother over to a flatter area. "How big should we make it?"

Looking up at her, a childish grin spread across his face. "How big do you think we can make it?" Then, without any warning, he fell to his knees and began gathering the snow. He formed it to a snowball, and then began rolling it around in the snow. Mikasa watched as it grew. Only a little at a time, but soon the ball was the size of her head.

"What are you looking at?" An annoyed wrinkle appeared on Eren's forehead. "If you don't start soon, I might as well build this entire snowman by myself."

Mikasa had to fight to hold back the laughter. Even if she started now, she would probably be able to finish before him - and probably have a bigger snowball. "Let's race."

And so they did. Eren pushed with all his might - making the snowball jump rather than roll across the snow. His eyes had narrowed, and looking at them, Mikasa could see the stubbornness and the willpower in them. Even though it was not her favorite part of him, it was still good to see him at his forte. Smiling, she looked down at her own hands, and soon she was rolling her own snowball.

Reiner couldn't help but smile too when he saw them. He had been like that too, back when he was still young. Watching the two childhood friends play, he was brought back to when Bertolt and him had played and how Marcel had been there as well. The dark haired boy with an upturned nose had always been the slowest of them, and had always lost when running against his friends. However, Reiner blamed that on his constant need to bring his backpack with him. It had contained food and drinks, but instead of saving them, it had been the death of Marcel...

Letting out a sigh, he turned around and looked back on the ice. He hadn't wanted to try his luck on it. Chances were that it would hold him, but he didn't want to take the chance. Still, he had wanted to come along. They had lived in the new headquarters for almost two weeks, and other than taking a walk in the courtyard, they hadn't been outside. Reiner hated that. Hated the feeling of being held in a cage of stone and being unable to run or ride a horse.

"Why are you so mopey?" Jean sat down beside him. "I thought you'd be happy getting outside."

"Oh, I am." Reiner told him. "Just… This got me to remember playing as a child."

"Oh?" Jean asked, intrigued. Reiner didn't talk much of his background or his family. "So?"

"I had a friend. We were playing everyday - being real punks too. But now..."

Interested, Jean was about to make him continue on his story, but he saw the shiver in his muscular friend's eyes. "Oh-… Ehm.. How did… Did the Titans get him?"

Reiner nodded.

Jean understood. Although he hadn't dealt with the loss of anyone close until Marco, Jean could imagine how it felt now. He had experienced death before, it wasn't that, but it hadn't been anyone close to him. If he had had anyone like Marco back then, and then lost him… Just the thought of it was too much. Not only did Eren and MIkasa still have each other, but they had Armin as well. Looking at them running around like kids even made him feel sad.

He sighed. Then, putting his hand in his pocket, he seemed to search for something. "Here. Armin gave me this as we left the house." He pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Reiner. "I don't know why he did it, but I think you should read it. Just make sure Armin gets it back when we return."

With that, Jean got onto his feet and walked back onto the ice again.

Seeing the horse faced man leave, Reiner took a second to consider, but then he unfolded the paper and read:

* * *

 _The twelfth of December: Quirinius_

 _… for there's no sense in believing what's right  
_ _unless it leads to helping people in distress …_

* * *

 _The five sheep had crossed a ridge and begun to run down into a fertile agricultural district. Impuriel ﬂuttered round the little ﬂock, and after the sheep and the cherub came Jacob and Joshua, Caspar and Balthazar, Ephiriel and Elisabet._

 _They passed Lake Biel and then several more lakes. The biggest and most beautiful was Lake Geneva. It glittered so that it looked as if a piece of heaven had fallen down to earth. Only when Elisabet looked up and saw that there was no hole in the sky was she able to be quite sure that the picture of the sky in the big lake was only a reﬂection._

 _Again they ran along an old road alongside a river in a deep valley. Ephiriel told them that the river was called the Rhone and that all the water it carried with it from the Alps ran down ﬁrst into Lake Geneva, and later right down to the Mediterranean._

 _They ran across an old bridge to the other side of the river and stopped in front of a monastery called St Maurice. There were high Alps on every side with snow on their peaks._

 _'The time is 1079 after Christ,' said Ephiriel. 'The monks have lived here among these tall mountains, praising God and His creation, ever since the seventh century. The monastery is built around the grave of the holy St Maurice who was killed here in this valley in the year 285 because he refused to worship the Roman gods.'_

 _He had only just ﬁnished speaking when a monk walked out of the monastery. He greeted them with a slight nod._

 _'Gloria Dei,' he said._

 _'And the same to you,' said Elisabet, even though she had not understood what the monk was saying. She thought one of them ought to answer him._

 _Only then did the monk notice the two angels. He knelt on the grass and said, 'Alleluial Alleluia!'_

 _It was clear that they weren't used to angels visiting them at the monastery, even though it was so high up in the Alps that it was close to the angels in heaven._

 _Impuriel rose above the ground, ﬂew towards the monk, gently beating his wings, and said in a voice soft as silk, 'Fear not, and be in no wise afraid. We are only going to Bethlehem to greet the Christ-child.'_

 _Then King Caspar of Nubia strode up to the monk. He said, 'Peace be with you and your monastery. It is true what the angel has said. We are on our way to the Holy Land to pay homage to the King of Kings in Bethlehem, the city of David.'_

 _With those words they set off again. They came to a little place called Martigny where there was an old Roman theatre._

 _'The Romans used this route over the Alps too,' explained the angel Ephiriel. 'Much later Napoleon crossed the Alps with his army.'_

 _'To Bethlehem!' called Joshua, and they sped upwards towards the high mountains. The air was so thin and clear that Elisabet thought she must be on the way to heaven. From time to time they saw a mountain hare, a marmot or an Alpine goat. Up in the air circled crows and vultures, and now and again a grouse started up from the bushes._

 _At the top of the mountain pass stood a large house._

 _'The time is 1045 years after Christ,' said the angel Ephiriel. 'That house is a hospice whose purpose is to look after people who are crossing the Alps. It's brand new and has been built by Bernard of Menton. From now on and for the rest of time the Benedictine monks will live up here and organise a rescue service for people who are lost in the mountains. They are helped by their clever St Bernard dogs.'_

 _'Right!' said the cherub Impuriel. 'For Jesus wanted to teach humans to help one another when they were in distress. Once he told a story about a man who was on his way from Jerusalem to Jericho, and was attacked by robbers who left him half dead at the side of the road. Several priests passed by, but none of them bent down to help the poor man, though he was in danger of losing his life. Jesus thought there wasn't much point in being priests if they couldn't even be bothered to help a fellow human being in distress. They might just as well forget all their prayers.'_

 _Elisabet nodded, and Impuriel continued, 'But then a Samaritan came past, and Samaritans were not very popular in Judea, because their religion was a bit different from that of the Jews. But the Samaritan had compassion on him and helped the unfortunate man so that he saved his life. Yes, indeed! For there's no sense in believing what's right unless it leads to helping people in distress.'_

 _Elisabet nodded again and hid the cherub's words in her heart._

 _At one point where the pass forked, a man was standing with a large sign in his hand. He was wearing a long red tunic. If he had not moved, one might have thought he was a petriﬁed Roman from the Roman Empire._

 _On the sign was written 'TO BETHLEHEM ' in capital letters. An arrow had been drawn in as well, to show which path they should follow._

 _'A living road sign!' exclaimed Elisabet._

 _Ephiriel nodded. 'Verily I say unto you, that road sign must be one of us.'_

 _Impuriel was so excited that he ﬂew right up to the man and shouted at him, 'Fear not! Fear not! Fear not!'_

 _But the man with the sign was not at all affrighted. He took a step towards Elisabet, offered her his hand and said, 'Congrat… no, no, that wasn't quite correct. I mean, at your service, my friends! The very ﬁrst thing I must remember to do is to say my name because I, too, have been allowed to take part in this Advent calendar. My name is Quirinius, Governor of Syria… attractive appearance, closer acquaintance desired .. . well, well, the most important thing is, of course, to be good and kind. Dixi!'_

 _Elisabet couldn't help laughing; he talked so oddly. It was as if there were two people talking at once, for he interrupted himself the whole time. He handed her the sign. He had perhaps been standing and holding it for an eternity with the wind ﬂapping in his tunic. He said, 'And this .. . I am asking for your attention, my friends . . . for here I have the actual prize . .. I ought to say that this prize is for you. Dixi!'_

 _'Am I to have the sign?' said Elisabet in astonishment._

 _And Quirinius replied, 'Only on the one side . .. I mean you must turn it right round, you understand. Dixi!'_

 _Elisabet didn't understand why he said Dixi all the time, for there was no dog or cat anywhere near. But the angel Ephiriel whispered that 'dixi' was Latin and meant that he had ﬁnished speaking._

 _Elisabet turned the sign round and saw to her great surprise that what she was holding in her hand was an Advent calendar with twenty-four doors to be opened. Above each door was painted a picture of a young woman with fair hair. She was standing in front of a church with a large dome on top._

 _'The ﬁrst twelve,' said Quirinius. 'You may open the ﬁrst twelve doors, for we've come exactly so far on our journey. Dixi!'_

 _Elisabet sat down on a rock and opened the ﬁrst door. Behind it was a picture of a lamb. Behind the next door was an angel and behind the third a sheep. Then there followed pictures of a shepherd, another sheep, a King of Orient, a sheep, a shepherd, a sheep, a cherub, and another King of Orient. Elisabet saw that they were pictures of everyone who had joined the pilgrimage on its long way through Europe._

 _But who was the lady?_

 _'Thank you very much!' she said._

 _Quirinius shook his head. 'On the contrary! What you said last was quite wrong, because you're not the one to say thank you .. . I am. I thank you and others here for allowing an old Roman like myself to join this godly group which is on the right way to Bethlehem. After all, it was not I — in fact it was you - who set off ﬁrst after the delightful lamb. Dixi! Dixi! Dixi!'_

 _Elisabet looked up at Ephiriel and laughed._

 _'But you haven't opened the twelfth door,' said the angel,_

 _Elisabet opened the twelfth door as well, and now she was looking down at a tiny picture of a fair-haired woman in front of the big dome of a church._

 _Joshua struck his shepherd's crook against a cairn._

 _'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

 _'How far is it to Bethlehem now?' asked Elisabet._

 _'Not very far!' said Ephiriel._

* * *

Reiner kept staring at the piece of paper. He had been present for the reading of the first chapter, and had also gotten in parts of other chapters - mostly because of Bertolt's retelling as they lay down to sleep. Not that he had minded it too much. While having to listen to the whole thing being told would drag out, Bertolt would keep it short, and would also mix in his own feelings and thoughts about the chapters.

Back in the their childhood, Bertolt had been pondering as well. However, as they didn't have much material to read from, he had began defragmenting what was said around the village, and soon it all turned into something that was more a philosophy than just thoughts. Reiner hadn't minded back then either. Although the blonde boy had been strong in his belief of what would have to be done, he had always enjoyed his friend's reflection on the matter.

So, realizing what he had had in his hand earlier, he had been sceptical, but as there was little to do and he wanted to free his mind of his haunting past, he had given it a chance.

And it hadn't been too bad. Compared to the first chapter, this was more than just silly nonsense, and, in an almost scary way, it seemed almost directed at him.

The samaritan. Reiner had heard the metaphor. It had once been used on him, however, no matter how much he searched his memories, he could not remember who had told him this. This made him wonder though. He hadn't know the true meaning of the word back then, so it hadn't made much sense to him. However, if what he had just read was the truth, that put a special meaning to the complement. What could they have referred to? Because he couldn't think of anything he'd done to deserve such a 'title'.

The question swirled around in his mind, and he got up on his feet, and began wandering the area. Finding a few trees, Reiner stopped and admired them. The trees that they normally saw were all small compared to these. Being close to people and squeezed in between buildings wasn't ideal for them. Out here, however… Laying his head back, he traced the stem of the tree all the way up to the top. Could it be 80 meters tall? As he was standing there, pondering the height, something came rushing down the tree and hit him on the forehead.

"Argh!" He growled. "What the hell?"

Holding his forehead, Reiner looked down at the ground. There, on the white snow, lay something small and brown. He bent down to pick it up, and, seeing it up close, he realized what it was.

"Nuts..?" He inspected the smooth shells. "A hazel?" He wondered. It was strange seeing nuts in this form. Those he had seen had mostly been plucked and ready to be eaten, while these three seemed to be in perfect order. They were all bundled together, kept that way by a small branch.

Reiner was about to throw the nuts away - he had never enjoyed the taste of nuts, but something made him stop. Instead, he put it in his pocket, continuing his walk.

* * *

Down by the ice, Ymir and Krista were packing up their things. Although Krista had been enthusiastic when hearing about the possibility of putting on a pair of skates, Ymir had not felt the same. Ever since she was little, she remembered she had felt uncomfortable on the ice. It was nothing spectacular - not that she was going to slip or fall through the ice - or otherwise hurt herself. No, it was something else, something hiding in the back of her mind.

"I'm sorry I took so long."

Ymir couldn't help but to smile as she looked into her friend's apologetic eyes. "Don't stress it, hun. Take as much time as you need. I'll wait."

Krista shook her head, letting the angelic strands of hair dance through the air. She was done skating for today, and besides, the ice had just lost it serenity. Casting a glance back over her shoulder, Krista followed the battle that was taking place.

When they had talked about ice skating, people had been looking forward to enjoy some relaxed sliding, back and forth on the ice, and having a good time. Well, that was until it was brought to their attention that this might be a good way to get used to the frosty weather and how a potential battle would take place. Hearing this, both Mikasa and Eren had been intrigued, and they had gone out on the ice as soon as they got there. The fight had been uneven - even more so than than usual, as Eren had a harder time adjusting to the new footing. They had kept on fighting, until Annie suddenly approached them.

Krista wasn't entirely sure what had happened, but it seemed like there had been an argument, and this had made Annie take Eren's place. The fight that followed had been intense to watch, and the two girls seemed to match each other in every movement. After a while they called it quits, both having lost interest in the fight. Mikasa had joined Eren and they had headed off, while Annie and Mike had been set upon by Hange for another fight. That had been interesting as well, and Krista noted that Annie's ability to adjust to ice-fighting had been amazing. Although Mike was rated much stronger than Leonhart, they were almost at the same level.

The sparring had been an interesting thing for Krista to watch as she let herself slide across the frozen surface, but that had all changed when Hange, without a warning, had decided to throw herself into the midst of it.

From being held within a controlled area, the fight had taken a different turn, and soon made everyone still on the ice run for their lives. So, due to this, Krista had evacuated, gliding towards Ymir.

Seeing the expression on Krista's face, Ymir got onto her feet. "You want to go for a ride?" Receiving an approving giggle, Ymir took Krista by the hand and guided her over to the sleigh. They wouldn't be able to go back to the Headquarters quite yet - as they only had two sleighs and both of them were needed to bring all the soldiers back - but that didn't mean that they couldn't borrow it for a while. Because, although Ymir wasn't fond of the ice, she held a fondness for riding the sleigh. So, helping her favorite person in this world into the pelts, Ymir had a genuine expression of happiness on her face.

* * *

 **A/N:  
** Question of today: Are you fond of ice skating?

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	14. 13 - December 13th

**A/N:**

"Ahhahhahahaa~" The clearly fake laughter drowned out what Oluo might have said next, and before he could open his mouth to repeat it, Petra had grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out the door, slamming it shut behind them.

Wanna know what happened? Well, make sure to read then :P

Also, remember that I love getting them reviews :3 So make sure to send one when you're done reading.

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 13TH

* * *

It had been another hard day for the scout members.

However, due to their hard work, Erwin had decided to give them the evening off. Although a few had gone to sleep, and Annie had went for a walk, most had decided to spend the time in front of the fireplace.

The chat was light and friendly, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Memories were shared and stories from times long ago came back to life. They were laughing and joking, and even though some of the stories seemed a little too amazing to be true, all were in too good a mood to point it out.

"Ahahahhahaaaa~" Petra burst out in laughter. "He didn't really do that, did he?"

"Sure did!" Gunther grinned as he posed. "Like this."

The laughter continued, and in the midst of it, Oluo's cheeks were gaining a nice shade of red.

"It wasn't like that," he protested. "It was… it was..." The words died in his throat.

"Aw," Petra walked over to her friend. "You know we don't mean anything by it."

For a long second, that seemed to be it, but then a queer smile grew on Oluo's lips. "Really? So, Petra, how about those stocking-"

"Wha- I-I" Petra stuttered as a pink glow filled her cheeks. "You wouldn't…"

"Oh, my dearest Petra..." Throwing his hands up, the man shook his head in amusement. "Tsk, tsk, tsk… How could you ever do anything so, so-"

"Ahhahhahahaa~" The clearly fake laughter drowned out what Oluo might have said next, and before he could open his mouth to repeat it, Petra had grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out the door, slamming it shut behind them.

"Oooh..." Connie whistled. "What was that all about?"

As none answered, all turned to the one person in the room that might know.

"What?" Gunther shrugged. "Don't look at me. How should I know?"

"You're the one living with them. Also, you've known them the longest."

Mikasa's point was a valid one, but Gunther had never cared too much about the constant squabbling between his teammates. It had been that way ever since they were picked out by Captain Levi. In the beginning he had seen it as a nervous habit, that the newcomers weren't used to their now role and were picking on each other simply to calm down. However, as time bassed by and they truly became one team, the bickering continued. It was at that point Gunther, and Eld too, had given up on spending time with the juniors. Not that they had anything against them; no, both of them were a delight to be around - so long as it was only one of them.

Still, although Gunther honestly hadn't paid much attention to the pair, he had noticed a few things. First of all, their quarrels, no matter how serious they seemed, were never mean spirited. Their insults just seemed to roll off without doing any damage. And, second, it was always Oluo that initiated the fight. It wasn't always verbally him who spoke first, but if the situation was traced back, it was always Oluo who made it happen.

"I don't really know." Gunther finally said. "I don't know much except that they always find a way to fight. Hell, the only times I've seen them agree are when it comes to saving lives and religion."

Jean raised a brow. "Religion?"

"Yeah," Eld sighed, joining in on the conversation. "They are both… well, let's just say that they have an interesting perspective."

"I mean, most people are either with or against the idea of religion, but those two."

"I guess I see their point, though." Eld noted. "It does give something to the people."

"But…" Scratching his neck, Connie seemed to be in deep thought. "Is the God they talk about in the story is the same as the one those wall-sects are talking about? Did the God from the story really create the Wall?"

The room got quiet, all considering the words of the short haired soldier.

"I mean," Connie continued, "Both of them seem to have a bad feeling about the number thirteen."

Jean raised a brow. Of all the things that Armin had read and shared about the world in his Calendar, THIS was what the bowl-head had remembered. He was about to open his mouth to deliver a poisonous retort, when-

"It doesn't matter."

The blunt comment from Ymir made every head turn.

"What do you mean?" Armin asked, happy that the tall woman had finally joined the conversation.

"Whether you believe in the wall or this foreign religion, it makes no difference. It's all the same. Religion… There is nothing worth believing in. There is nothing out there - at least, nothing that wants to help us." Her eyes growing distant, she turned her head away from her friends, choosing instead to look out the windows. "Believe in yourselves. Only humans themselves can damage their lives, and only humans themselves can save what has been lost."

"Well, although I cannot agree with everything you said, I see that there is a point to it." Jean nodded. "But still, although I'm not a fan of religion, I have to say I don't mind my mom's celebratory food."

"Yeah, traditions are nice." Connie nodded. "Aren't there any of those in this religion?"

"Actually, there are." Armin grabbed ahold of the new subject. "And actually, today is such a day."

"Oh?"

"Yes. It is a day called 'Saint Lucy's Day' or 'The Feast of Saint Lucy'. It's a feast day celebrated on the 13 December, commemorating a heroine named "Saint Lucy", using a candle-lit wreath to "light her way and leave her hands free to carry as much food as possible".

"Really?" Sasha leaned forward on the bench, clearly intrigued by the mentions of food. "So will we have a feast tonight?"

Unsure, Armin looked over at Eld.

"Sure," The blond man laughed. "I'll ask the Commander. I think it should be fine, though."

"Yes!"

"Not only is this tradition centered around food," Armin continued, "it is also common to sing songs about Saint Lucy and her doings."

"Speaking of," Sasha looked over at her roomie. "Don't you write songs, Krista?"

"Huh?" Krista blinked, confused.

"Or was it a poem? I found it by the bed."

"No, I-" the words stuck in her throat, and suddenly the girl paled. "It's not..."

"Sure it was. I even remember parts of it." Sasha cleared her voice and straightened her back.

" _How can anybody live in a world that's so cruel and beautiful?  
_ _Always asking why_ \- Hey, Krista!"

The young blonde had stormed out the door.

"Why did-"

*SMACK!*

The sound reverberated through the room like a gunshot, leaving everyone quiet, except for the whimper Sasha made as she held her hand up to where Ymir had struck her. Realizing what had just happened, she wanted to fight back, but Ymir had already left the room, doubtlessly in search of Krista.

"That was badly done." Eld scolded.

"Badly done, indeed!" Gunther agreed.

Waving her hands in front of her, Sasha did her best to defend herself. "What- I didn't mean anything mean by it-"

"Even so..."

Before the situation could get any worse, Armin cut in:

"Should we, maybe, read today's Calendar piece?"

As he had hoped, all eyes now fixed on him, and he hurried to bring the little piece of paper. Sitting down, he looked around, and smiled as he saw Mikasa staring at him with anticipation in her eyes. Smiling, he offered her the note, and she began to read:

* * *

 _The thirteenth of December: The sixth sheep_

 _… just as lightning sweeps across the sky,_  
 _pouring out a ﬂood of light over the landscape for a second or two …_

* * *

 _A little procession was running down the steep mountains in the Alps from the St Bernard Pass. They spent only half a second in each place, for they were running, not just down the steep slopes towards Val d'Aosta in Northern Italy — they were speeding down through history too._

 _So a party of monks, who were on their way up from Val d'Aosta one day in June, in the year 998, saw them for only a short moment — just as lightning sweeps across the sky, pouring out a ﬂood of light over the landscape for a second or two._

 _'Look!' exclaimed one of the monks._

 _'What?' asked the other._

 _'I thought I saw a strange procession on its way down through the valley. There were people and animals. Behind them all ran a little girl with an angel.'_

 _The third monk agreed. 'I saw them too. It was like a heavenly host.'_

 _The monk who had seen nothing shook his head in disbelief._

 _'Are you sure you can stand the thin air up here?' he asked._

 _He said that because he had looked down at an azalea at the instant when the pilgrimage had passed._

 _Four years earlier a party of merchants from Milan had seen the same as the two monks. That had been a few kilometres further down the valley._

 _The godly throng stopped for a little while to enjoy the View over the beautiful Val d'Aosta. Ephiriel pointed up at Mont Blanc and the sharp peak of the Matterhorn. Elisabet was more interested in studying the Advent calendar she had been given by the Governor of Syria._

 _She pointed at opening number twelve where there was a picture of an Advent calendar exactly the same as the one she had in her hand, turned to Quirinius and asked, 'Can I open the doors in the tiny little calendar as well?'_

 _Quirinius shook his head. 'Unfortunately not. That calendar is sealed with seven seals. Dixi!'_

 _'We are such Wise Men that we can reveal what is inside it, all the same,' said Caspar the ﬁrst Wise Man. 'Something mysterious is written there in tiny little letters.'_

 _'Tell me, then!' said Elisabet._

 _'Behind the ﬁrst door is written Elisabet,' Caspar began. 'Behind the second is written Lisabet, and behind the third Isabet. Then come Sabet, Abet, Bet and Et. That's the ﬁrst seven doors.'_

 _'And what then?' said Elisabet, with a broad smile._

 _Balthazar, the second Wise Man, replied, 'After that come Te, Teb, Teba, Tebas, Tebasi, Tebasil and Tebasile. Then there are only ten doors left.'_

 _'What's behind them?'_

 _'Elisabet, Lisabet, Isabet, Sabet, Abet, Bet and Et.'_

 _'But then there are still three doors left,' said Elisabet._

 _Caspar nodded solemnly. 'Behind door number 22 is written Roma, behind door number 23 is written Amor, and behind door number 24 the name Jesus is written in very beautiful and artistic lettering. One letter is red, the second is orange, the third is yellow, the fourth blue, and the ﬁfth violet. Altogether that makes all the colours of the rainbow. Jesus was like a whole rainbow.'_

 _'Why?'_

 _'When it's been raining heavily, and the sun breaks through the dark clouds, the rainbow appears in the sky. It's as if a little bit of Jesus is in the air, for Jesus was a rainbow between heaven and earth.'_

 _Joshua lifted up his shepherd's crook and struck a stone with such force that it echoed all round the mountains._

 _'To Bethlehem!' he said. 'To Bethlehem!'_

 _And it was as if the mountains replied, 'Lehem, Lehem, Lehem . . .'_

 _It didn't take long for them to reach the Valley of the Po. That is the name of the fertile country that lies around the great River Po, which ﬂows from the Italian Alps in the west to the Adriatic Sea in the east. Ephiriel told them they would be going the same way as the river._

 _They travelled through the countryside until the River Po met another big river called the Ticino, near the trading city of Pavia. Ephiriel told them that the angel watch showed 904 and that Pavia already had a university that was famous throughout Europe._

 _Joshua was about to strike the ground with his shepherd's crook in order to say something Elisabet was about to say, but Jacob the shepherd spoke ﬁrst. He pointed down at a large raft that was lying by the river bank and said, 'We'll borrow that.'_

 _So the whole of the long procession of pilgrims jumped on board the raft._

 _As they were about to push off from the bank, a man came running towards them with a sheep in his arms._

 _'Accept my sincere offering!' he said._

 _So six sheep had to be crammed together on the narrow raft._

 _When they were out on the river, Quirinius said that Elisabet could open door number 13 in the advent calendar. Behind it was a picture of a man carrying a sheep._

* * *

"Interesting, then does that mean..." Armin mumbled to himself as he accepted the piece of paper. He hadn't had the time to look at the picture as he opened it earlier, as he was eager to get downstairs again. He looked around at the faces surrounding him, noticing that he wasn't the only one who seemed to be in deep thought. This calendar was certainly much more than he had expected it to be as he read the note for December 1st.

However, he realized they had read it without informing the Commander. So, in order to make it right, Armin got up and headed towards the office. After that, he thought to himself, he would have to find Krista.

* * *

"Krista?"

"Ah, Ymir." Wiping her tears, Krista sent a welcoming smile to her best friend. "What's up?"

Ymir rolled her eyes. "What do you think? Looking for you, of course." She walked over to the younger girl and embraced her. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine..." Krista replied, a string of sadness playing in her voice.

"That Sasha," Ymir let go of Krista and sat down on the bed. "To be so mean to my Krista - even after you let her stay in our room."

Krista shook her head. "No, it's okay. It's just me, I was overreacting."

"She went through your things, Krista. YOUR things."

"Not really," Krista hurried to say. If it continued like this, she would not be able to calm her guardian angel down. "I kept it underneath my bed," she explained. "Sasha probably thought it was trash and wanted to throw it away for me - so nice of her."

Ymir let out a grunt. She had a hard time believing the story, but what else could she do.

"So it really wasn't her fault." Krista smiled.

"She still read it out loud."

Krista opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out.

For a second it seemed as if Ymir was about to get up to chase down Sasha, but Krista's next words made her stop dead.

"It's my fault for writing those things..."

"What? What do you mean?"

"What she saw… I know we're supposed to hold our heads high, and that we are to believe in a world where everything is better, but..."

"But that's impossible." Ymir finished. Then, in a swift move, she pulled Krista onto her lap, wrapping her her once again in her arms. "No world can be like that. Not ours at least."

And so they sat, comforted in each other's arms, until Krista broke the silence.

"Do… Do you want to hear it?"

Ymir nodded, and so, with a voice as clear as crystal, Krista sang softly:

 _There's a dream my heart just can't seem to leave behind_  
 _Like a flower holding on for life, inside my mind_  
 _Time and again, I push it away from me_  
 _But it finds a way back in sleep_

 _My beating heart drowns my thoughts away_  
 _Tearing apart this dreamer's way_  
 _But still I know deep inside my soul_  
 _That I never can let it go_

 _How can anybody live in a world that's so cruel and beautiful?_  
 _Always asking why we're really here_  
 _Losing all of our control to our fears_  
 _Some of us are strong, some of us are weak, but still we seek..._  
 _For a new day that can offer more_  
 _Do we really know the world we're fighting for?_

 _Up above the grey of the sky reflects my eyes_  
 _All the air that sweeps around me seems to coldly sigh_  
 _And to join us in our despair the heavens weep_  
 _As we wait on eternal sleep_

 _Try to escape from reality_  
 _By searching for a fantasy_  
 _But still I know that I have to go_  
 _Can't hold on to a dream of home_

 _How can anybody live in a world that's so cruel and beautiful?_  
 _Always fighting to survive the day_  
 _Giving all we have to keep death at bay_  
 _Are we really here, is it really clear despite the fear?_  
 _Should we fight on for the ugly truth?_  
 _Or should we hide behind the lies of distant youth?_

 _What if I could turn into a melody_  
 _And traverse the world at the speed of sound?_  
 _I'd go all the all the way around_  
 _Like a song of hope profound_  
 _For the ones who need answers to distant pleas_

 _How can anybody live in a world that's so cruel and beautiful?_  
 _Always asking why we're really here_  
 _Losing all of our control to our fears_  
 _Some of us are strong, some of us are weak, but still we seek..._  
 _For a new day that can offer more_  
 _Do we really know the world we're fighting for? ***_

During the song Ymir had her eyes closed, listening intently to the the words from Krista's heart. Now, a little smile appeared on her lips, and she gave her friend a squeeze.

"How you can be so talented... I don't know anyone who would be able to put it like that."

"But isn't it too gloomy?" Krista asked, surprised by the seemingly positive feedback.

"It is," Ymir agreed. "But the world is gloomy as well. We mustn't forget that." She let her nose brush against the blonde's fair skin, nuzzling it gently. "It's a good thing that you don't forget. It's a quality. If others think differently, it's their own bad. You're you, and there's nothing wrong with that."

Encouraged by Ymir's words, Krista climbed even closer to Ymir, letting out a giggle as Ymir whispered in her ear:

"You're what makes this world beautiful."

* * *

 **A/N:  
** Question of today: Do you celebrate Saint Lucia? How?

Please leave a review with your thoughts, okay?

 ***** Disclaimer:**

These are the english, fanmade lyrics for "Beautiful Cruel World" made by Adrisaurus. The original version by Yoko Hikasa is the first ending of Attack of Titan: "Utsukushiki Zankoku na Sekai". If you like the lyrics, make sure to pay tribute to the creator - you can find it on YouTube.

 **Please like /follow me if you enjoy my stuff:**  
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	15. 14 - December 14th

**A/N:  
** Okay, so I didn't say this yesterday, but: WE'RE HALFWAY THROUGH THE STORY!  
I mean, wow. I cannot believe the word count on this story right now - it's sooo much!  
Maybe, I mean, Maaaaaybe, we'll be able to hit the glorious 100k? :3  
What do you say? Tell me in a Review, okay?

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 14TH

* * *

"I got you now!"

"As if!" Eren jumped to the side, a mocking grin plastered to his face. "Hah! You really can't hit- MULF!" A snowball hit him straight in the face and he backed up a few steps, coughing and spitting out the snow.

"Ahahahahah! It's not food, Eren! Didn't your mom tell you not to eat snow?" Connie laid his head back, laughing hysterically, pointing at his opponent. "Did you guys see how-"

"Hah!" A sly smirk was on the lips of Oluo as he rinsed the snow off of his bright blue mittens, somehow managing to keep clear of the multiple snowballs flying in his direction. "You guys will never hit me like that. It's a miracle that you even passed your examinations! One would think you had no aim." That said, he got hit in the head by a lucky snowball, falling back into the snow.

"What was that?" Came sarcastically from the sideline. "You're teaching them how to be a proper soldier are you? I can understand your doubt in the rookies, but it's you I'm worried about. Did they really have no requirements back then?"

"At least you're admitting it." Oluo taunted as he kept on running, passing Mikasa on his right. "I was number one in my year, while you, hmm, remind me again; what was your-"

Gunther let out a sigh. Why had he even bothered coming out here today? He really didn't like these kinds of activities, throwing small objects of ice and snow at each other… There was little in it that could be used in any way in their job. That, and he couldn't believe that he had agreed on joining them - already knowing that both Oluo and Petra were looking forward to some fun in the snow - it was doomed to be a shitty day. He glanced over at the side line. Petra had been a good participant, but when Mikasa set eyes on her, she knew she was doomed. Since then, the cheerful girl had been sitting in the snow, cheering on those that were still in the game - making sure to throw a few comments in Oluo's direction. Beside her was Armin. He had also been hit early in the game, but it didn't seem to bother him too much. Instead, he had began making snowballs - not for the fight. No, the snowballs he was making were placed in a circle, and at the moment he worked on an additional row on top of the first one.

The idea of having a snowball fight had begun earlier that morning. As all were gathered around the table, an accidental scoop of porridge had made its way from Bertolt's spoon, splatting onto the wall - barely avoiding the face of the Commander himself. It had all been an accident, but it had still inspired the group to load their own spoons and send porridge flying through the room.

It all ended abruptly as Keith Shadis got on his feet and demanded quiet - as well as respect for the little food they had. The fear built into the recruits, as well as the good argument, made them all stop. However, they had decided that they would have a snowball fight that day.

"Ahaha! Stop it, Annie." Sasha protested as the taller girl managed to push her down in the snow. "Mikasa, help me!"

Looking at her with uninterested eyes, Mikasa shook her head. "It was you who snuck up on her."

"Mikasaaa" Sasha begged, but the raven haired scout had already left. However, soon after, Annie let go of her fellow soldier.

Out of nowhere, a shadow hit Annie, and forced her to step back. Fending off the sudden attacker, Annie looked up, noticing none other than Oluo. Blinking, she took another step back, and then, giving him a nod to accept the challenge, she charged. The two of them clashed together, sending a wave of snow towards Sasha, as they threw kicks and punches at each other. One moment it looked like Oluo was winning, but the next, faster than any of them could see, Annie managed to put her foot forward, tripping the man, and using his momentum to lay him into the snow.

Cheer came from the sidelines - and from one girl's mouth in particular. "You go, Annie!"

Snow in his mouth, Oluo protested, demanding a rematch. However, Annie refused, telling him to tend to his bleeding tongue.

Now that the match was over, the group all gathered to find out what to do next.

"A snowman!" Mikasa suggested.

"But we've already done that," Eren complained. "Can't we do something else?"

"I wanna build a snowman," Gunther confessed. "It seems like fun."

Connie nodded. "Me too. Although I wanna make a snow-Titan."

And so they began. They packed the snow, and rolled it into bigger balls and put them together. However, the snow was not at its best and it took time, and after a while they all decided to take a break to read the piece of paper that Armin had put in his pocket.

* * *

 _The fourteenth of December: Isaac_

 _… even before the child's foreﬁnger had time to unfold …_

* * *

 _Towards the end of the ninth century a strange raft was sailing on the River Po in the direction of the Adriatic Sea to the east._

 _The country they were sailing through was called Lombardy. On the raft stood a small ﬂock of sheep, bleating crossly because they were not allowed to drink the river water. The smallest sheep was scuttling to and fro, so that a little bell hanging round its woolly neck was tinkling._

 _Two Wise Men were pointing at objects around them, and saying wise words about the beautiful country they were sailing through. After a long discussion about the blessings of oranges and dates, they agreed that God could not have created a better world — at least, not in six days._

 _At the back of the raft stood a man in Roman clothes, steering with a long oar. Such clothes had not been long out of fashion. He was talking to a small girl who was holding a piece of cardboard in her hands. On one side was written, 'TO BETHLEHEM '; on the other was a picture of a young woman with long fair hair._

 _Most conspicuous were two angels standing forwards on the raft, beating their wings to stop the boat drifting towards the river bank. This was long before river boats were equipped with propellers._

 _Now and again the cherub Impuriel turned to the others and praised the beauty of the landscape they were sailing through._

 _'Wonderful!' he called out. 'Nothing but glory and joy. It's just like on the ﬁfth day when God saw everything that He had made. And behold — it was very good!'_

 _Once or twice somebody on the shore noticed them. But the raft was revealed for only a brief second. That's because it wasn't just sailing down the Valley of the Po, it was sailing down through history too, crossing the tidal wave of the age. When a little child stood on the bank of the river and pointed at the strange raft, it disappeared even before the child's foreﬁnger had time to unfold._

 _So perhaps it was only a reﬂection?_

 _They passed old Roman bridges and buildings, theatres, temples and aqueducts. The angel Ephiriel pointed out all the churches._

 _'l was often in this area as a young man,' Quirinius told them, as he stared down at the long oar in the water. 'But that was a very long time ago ... or the opposite, of course. I mean, it's still a good while before we get there. Dixi!'_

 _Elisabet realised that he was talking about the Roman period when there were Roman soldiers nearly everywhere in the world._

 _'What did it look like here then?' she asked._

 _'The Roman theatres are still standing. The orange trees as well — and the red poppies along the river bank. But nobody had heard about Jesus. What's new are all the churches and monasteries, priests and monks. Dixi Dixi!'_

 _Before long Joshua pointed at the river bank. 'We'll land over there.'_

 _Quirinius tried to steer the raft towards land, and was helped by the two angels who beat their wings energetically. While Joshua the shepherd drew the raft up to a tree with his crook, the angel Ephiriel said a few warning words to the cherub imp._

 _'If we meet any people you must be sure to remember to say "Fear not" in a gentle angel voice, so that they will not be afraid. We're only visiting, so it's important that we behave properly.'_

 _All the pilgrims alighted from the raft, those on two legs, those on four, and those with wings on their shoulders. They passed a country church and turned uphill through the countryside._

 _The towns were not very large at this period, but soon they were approaching one of the largest. Ephiriel told them it was called Padua._

 _Just before they sped through the town gate they caught sight of a man in a blue tunic. He was sitting on a stone with his head in his hands. It looked as if he had been sitting there for a very long time._

 _Impuriel ﬂew towards him, hovered in the air right in front of him, ﬂuttering his wings, and said, 'Fear not and be in no wise afraid. I am Impuriel and am one of God's angels who is out on a sacred errand.'_

 _It looked as if the cherub's words had an effect, for the man did not throw himself to the ground and did not hide his head. He said neither 'Alleluia' nor 'Gloria Dei'. He simply got to his feet and walked towards them._

 _'Then he is one of us,' said Ephiriel._

 _The man offered his hand to Elisabet._

 _'I am Isaac the shepherd and I am going the same way as you.'_

 _That made it much easier to guide the six sheep through Padua._

 _Altogether there were ﬁfteen of them, going at such a speed that the few people who were out in the streets didn't have time to look at them. before they vanished. The pilgrims only just managed to see the inhabitants of the town, too. When they glimpsed an early riser, the man or woman disappeared in the next instant, perhaps to be replaced by a different man or woman._

 _Elisabet thought they were in the town for only half a minute, but in fact the strange pilgrimage haunted the streets of Padua for seven or eight long years; for that half-minute consisted of thirty brief seconds, and those thirty brief seconds were divided between all those seven or eight years._

 _Ancient accounts tell us that there was never so much talk of angels in Padua as during those magic years from 804 to 811. Now and then someone or other thought they had seen something strange in the streets. Could it have been a procession of angels who had swept through the town?_

 _Outside the town walls they stopped in front of a small monastery._

 _'Strange to see a Roman town again,' said Quirinius. 'I wonder Who's the emperor now.'_

 _Ephiriel looked at his angel watch._

 _'It's exactly 800 years after Christ. On Christmas Day this year Charles the Great Will be crowned Emperor of Rome.'_

 _'Then we'll soon be starting on a new century,' said Joshua. He struck his shepherd's crook against the monastery wall._

 _'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

* * *

Putting the scrap of paper back into his pocket, Armin brought his attention back to the sculpture. Looking at it from where they sat, the snowman didn't look bad at all. Although, looking at the one next to it, it was nothing.

"Wow, who made that one?" He pointed out the impressive snow creation. "It's really well done!"

No one spoke up, and as he looked at them, all shook their heads, all but-

"I made it." Connie grinned. Then, bowing towards them, he proclaimed; "It wasn't easy, I'll admit to that. The snow didn't want to work with me - but I made it. And," he boasted, "it really is a masterpiece."

"Yeah, it's really good." Bertolt agreed. "To be honest, it's almost like it's moving. Silly right?" His face turned white as snow, "R-Right?"

"I-It's a-alive?" Eren couldn't believe his eyes. But there, only forty meters away, the impressive snow-Titan shook his head, ridding itself of the snow that had up till then, covered it. "IT'S ALIVE!"

Panic broke out among the group gathered in the snow. There had been talk about what might happen if they met a titan in the snow, but all had been based on theories, when nothing was for sure.

Running for their lives, most headed for the sleigh, hoping that the horses would carry them faster away from the Titan.

"Wait," Mikasa shouted after them, making them slow down and look back. "It's stuck."

Upon inspection, Mikasa was right. Although the Titan was moving, it was only the upper body. Still vary, they continued watching, and concluded that it was indeed stuck.

"I'll take care of it." Mikasa, always prepared, drew her blades.

"It could have turned out pretty bad," Armin said. "And who knows how the Titans are affected by this weather."

Mikasa nodded. Although the Titan seemed almost defenceless, stuck in the frozen ground, it was best to not take any chances. So, making sure that she was out of range - even should the Titan break free - she made her way around the Titan to get a simple, clean cut of the nape.

"Stop!"

From the direction of the sleighs, a voice called out. Turning to see who it was, they discovered…

"Hange?" Armin blinked. "What brings you here."

"I heard you were gonna play around in the snow …. Although..." Taking in the full splendour of the Titan, and strange glow grew across her face. "It seems like you've found something even more fun to play with."

The scientist went closer to the big creature. "Would you mind if I had a look at him?

Suddenly growing uncomfortable, the group all shook their heads, relieved that she hadn't been more specific in just WHAT she wanted to do.

"I think I should head back," Jean's eyes flicked to the sleigh. "I should probably help out with… eh, things."

"Me too"

"And me."

Soon all agreed that they should probably have a look at the laundry, plow some snow or chop more wood - even knitting was brought up.

"Ah, okay." Hange nodded, barely acknowledging their presence. "I'll be right there, I just have to..."

And so, before more could be said, the sleighs were filled up in no time, heading home - and as far from Hange's new experiment as they could.

* * *

Returning to the headquarters, the group was met by the Commander himself. Erwin Smith had been sitting in long meetings the entire day, and was finally enjoying some fresh air. However, after being ditched by an extremely sleepy Levi, he had felt alone and in need of company. So, as the group rode through the main gate, they found a very eager commander waiting.

"Back already?" He asked as he fought to keep the level of enthusiasm in his voice to an acceptable level. "I didn't think you'd be back until dinner."

"Well, the Titan kinda ruined the plans..." Connie muttered.

"Titan?!"

"Yeah..." Connie was still having conflicting feelings about the whole Snow-Titan affair. Truth be told, he had only found a pile of snow, and thinking it covered a stone or something similar, he had added on and made it compact with the use his hands.

Gulping, Connie suddenly realized that he had been extremely close to a titan - and he had been PETTING IT! Shivers went down his back, and he shook himself to get rid of the unsettling feeling.

Commander Erwin scanned the homecomers. "Where's Hange?"

"She stayed with the Titan," Petra explained. "She had some….eh… experiments in mind."

"I see." Erwin nodded in understanding. Although Hange Zöe had many fascinating and interesting theories, not all of them had the prettiest ways of being tested out. He, himself had been present in many of her Titan studies, and most of what he had witnessed were things he would have prefered to live without seeing. He couldn't, though. As a Commander, it was his job to be informed about all discoveries made by his team - being it a slim report or witnessing the heart wrenching cries of a Titan being decimated alive.

The recruits on the other hand... Although it might teach them a thing or two, it was something they could learn from a distance. If given the option whether to witness or not, many might run - something that was proven to him by those standing in front of him in the courtyard.

He was about to continue the conversation by asking about their day, as he stooped. Was that...? Was that rumbling he heard? Turning around in the direction of the sound, Erwin could feel the vibrations coming through the ground beneath him.

Something was indeed approaching them.

He was about to shout out, to warn the others, as a Titan suddenly came into sight through the gate.

"TITAN!"

The words were only half-spoken, before half a dozen blades were drawn, and soon another dozen followed.

"PREPARE TO ATTACK!"

Holding up his arm to signal an attack, Erwin narrowed his eyes on the approaching Titan, waiting for it to be in the perfect position.

"ATT-"

CRACK!

A loud crack split the air, and suddenly the Titan was only half - or even a third - of it's original height.

"What the..." Gunther muttered to left. "Did it just..."

"The lid." Armin spun towards Erwin. "It must have been the lid that was forged yesterday."

"You mean..." Gunther joined in on the conversation. "Not the lid of the drophole?"

"I think so"

A shadow flew past them.

"Annie!"

The others followed her, and soon they were close enough to the Titan to take in the situation.

It was as Armin had suspected. The thin wood that had been crafted yesterday to work as a coverage for the drophole, hadn't been able to carry the weight of someone stepping on it, designed with thin wood for easy lifting.

"There!" Gunther pointed. "Look there!"

"Is that?"

A smile appeared on the Commanders lips. "Oh, hi there, Hange!" He waved down at her.

"Hi, guys!" Hange waved back,

And there she was. In a little pocket shaped device fastened to the back of the Titan's back - at the bottom of the nape.

"What the hell! What are you doing?"

Eren's question voiced what everyone was thinking.

"Ah, well," The Squad Leader began her climb out of the cloth pocket. "I wanted to see whether or not I'd be able to ride a Titan."

"..."

Erwin was the one to ask the obvious question: "And?"

"Well, while it technically worked - I mean, I did ride him," Hange started. "I didn't have much control over Paulus."

"P-Paulus?" Sasha was almost scared to ask.

"Yeah, isn't he cute?"

"Well..."

"THE FOOD IS READY!" The voice came from the door, and, facing it, they saw Jean. While the others had stayed to look at the Titan, Jean had chosen to go back inside to help out with the food.

They headed inside, and, on their way in, they asked Hange to join them, but she declined.

"Just go. I'll come in a bit."

Then, to everyone's surprise, she headed towards the stables. However, they were all hungry, and decided that the mystery of Hange's doings would have to way 'til after dinner.

* * *

"Yiiiiahahhahaaa~"

The eccentric scientist fastened the ribbon. Soon she was all done, and as she put the last star onto Paulus' ear, she heard the creak of the door.

"Oh, Levi!" She called out. "Look! Isn't he just the most adorable little-"

Her song ended abruptly as Levi, at first glance at the visitor, sped up the Titan's arm and, swift as a hawk, slit open the nape.

"Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

The howl echoed within the walls, and everyone jumped to their feet, hurrying to see what was going on - all except Oluo, who had reacted badly to something he'd eaten, and was forced to stay on the potty.

Storming outside, the soldiers were all expecting something horrible to have happened.

"What the..."

"Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?" Hange's wails continued, her arms grabbing onto Paulus, as parts of his body dissolved between her fingers.

* * *

 **A/N:  
** Question of today: What you you prefer? To build snowmen? or to be in a snowball match? Why?

Please leave a review with your thoughts, okay?

 **Please like /follow me if you enjoy my stuff:**  
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	16. 15 - December 15th

**A/N:  
** Hi guys^^  
Sorry about delay, but school kinda got the best of me and ruined my writing plan.  
However, I hope I make it up to you by publishing all of the delayed chapters at ones so that there will be no wait in between them

Oh, and remember, I always write fater when encouraged, so make sure to leave that review in the end ;)

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 15TH

* * *

Jean was laying on his back in bed, irritated that he was not allowed to leave it. It sounded silly, but that was the truth of it. With them all living in such a cramped space Eld had been even more conscious in all matters of health. So, when hearing a sneeze while passing by Jean's room that morning, he'd straight up ordered him to stay underneath the blankets.

It wasn't like it was anything wrong with him. Jean felt fine. More than fine actually. Last week his back had hurt after many hours working in the stables, but the ache had finally gone away. But still he was forced to stay in bed.

He guessed he could have seen himself as lucky. Many of the chores that they did in the small castle took a lot of strength and a lot of time. More than once had Gunther swept down on those who slacked off, and there were no thoughts of rest until the task was finished. In a way, Jean thought to himself, at least he was left out of that - although he was now alone in something that felt more and more like a quarantine.

"Might as well get some extra sleep for a change." He rolled over to the side, closed his eyes, and drifted away.

BAM!

Jean's eyes shot open, and he swirled around in the bed, only to tangle himself even more into the fabric.

"Who's-!" His eyes widened and he blinked to make sure he was right.

There, in front of him, was Marco. Although seeing his dead friend was surprising, it wasn't because of the shock, like it had been the first time. No, this time the surprise was brought on by something quite different.

"Marco? What-"

"I'm sorry," his friends hurried to say, as the ghost - for what else could it be? - bend down to pick up the wash basin. "Didn't mean to do that."

Calming down, Jean sat up in the bed to take a better look at Marco. At his last visit, it had been the Marco he remember, but the one today.. What was that thing on his head? A hat?

He continued to look at the strange red hat until Marco himself became aware of it.

"Ah, you like it?" Marco smiled. "It seems to be a symbol for this Christmas Celebration of yours."

"Oh..." Jean nodded. He hadn't known that. "Wait," a thought struck him. "How can you know that?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you're the product of my imagination, you can only know what I know"

"Well, I guess that's true," Marco nodded. "That is, if I am just that."

Jean blinked. "What else? It's not like you're really here. That's impossible."

"It would take a miracle."

The word caught Jean off guard. Of course, he knew what it meant. He had just never thought of a situation to use it. Many described the walls as miracles, while one could say that the real miracle wasn't the wall itself, but rather that the humans had been able to build it without being eaten - or that they had miraculously foreseen that they would need a wall.

He was about tell Marco that, but Marco was nowhere to be seen.

"Marco?"

Jean blinked, and then, his room was gone as well. Instead, what he what he saw, was a room with desks, maps, and books.

"Marc-?"

* * *

"Are you done soon?"

Jean jumped. He had not expected anyone else.

"Oh, Oluo. When did you-"

"It's more than clean enough." Oluo cut him off.

"It's not." Petra, sitting on her knees, continued scrubbing the floor. "I can still see it."

Walking closer to them, Jean leaned closer to get a better look, and doing so, he noticed a small spot. It was barely visible, and he doubted that he would have noticed it if it hadn't been for all the attention it was getting.

Oluo sighed. "Geez, Pet. Really?"

The dirty look she sent her comrade came as a surprise on Jean. He knew that the two of them had quarrels most of the time, but all as a friendly thing. This time, however, he couldn't feel the same playfulness coming off of either of them.

"Fine, fine. Do whatever you want." Oluo got onto his feet and headed towards the door. But, before he opened it, he looked at her a last time. "He's not worth it, you know. He really isn't."

Petra didn't respond, and neither did she look up, either. Then, hearing the door close behind him, she finally looked up.

Meeting the young girl's eyes, Jean was shocked to see tears in them. Wanting to comfort her, he leaned down, but as he grasped for her shoulder, he noticed he couldn't.

"What? What is this?" Panic grew in his voice, and he once again reached out to touch the girl. It was meaningless.

He opened his mouth to scream, but as he did, the world around him was spinning. Terrified, Jean tried to find something to hold onto, but there was nothing.

"WHAT IS GOING ON?!"

A tree. In front of him stood a tall tree. It was tall and big, and Jean was about to touch it when a CRACK shattered the air and made him jump around.

"Take this one back to the sleigh." Captain Levi Ackerman pointed at the tree at his feet.

Sasha nodded and hurried over to pick it up. "Yes, sir!" Using her strength, she hurled the tree up on her shoulder before carrying it - although a bit unsteady, over to the sleigh they had brought with them.

Once again, the world around him was moving - this time at an even greater speed, until...

What was that? Jean narrowed his eyes. Was that a bridge between two houses? Confused, he looked left and right, trying to learn where he had stranded this time. And that's when he saw them; a strange group in the horizon. Seeing them, a gasp left his throat. It was _them_.

* * *

 _The fifteenth of December: The seventh sheet  
_ _… 'Fear not,' he said, in a voice as soft as silk …_

* * *

 _The pilgrims came to the Venetian lagoon at the top of the Adriatic Sea. They paused on a little rise with a view over the lagoon, and Ephiriel started to point out all the islands and skerries that studded the water. On many of the islets the Venetians had built houses, on some of them churches as well. Several of the islets were so close together that bridges had been built between them. Everywhere there were scores of small ﬁshing boats._

 _'The time is 797 years after Christ,' announced Ephiriel. 'We see the young Venice, which will soon be the name of the 118 islands. The Venetians settled here in order to be protected from the sea pirates and barbarians who were roving about. Exactly a hundred years ago they all combined under a leader called the Doge.'_

 _'I can't see any gondolas,' complained Elisabet. 'I thought there would be more bridges too.'_

 _Ephiriel laughed. 'But you're not in the Venice of the twentieth century. I said the time was 797, and that people had lived here for only a couple of centuries. But Venice will soon become so thickly populated that one island will scarcely be separated from another.'_

 _While they stood looking out over all the small islets and islands, a rowing boat came past. One end was ﬁlled with salt. In the other end stood some sheep, bleating at the sun which was about to break through the morning mist._

 _The man who was rowing the boat was so frightened when he caught sight of the procession of pilgrims that he covered his eyes with his arm, took a step backwards, and lost his balance so that he fell head over heels into the water. Elisabet saw him come to the surface a few seconds later and then go under again._

 _'He's drowning!' she cried. 'We must save him.'_

 _But the angel Ephiriel was already on his way. He hovered gracefully above the glittering water, seized the man when he surfaced again and lifted him up on land, dripping wet. Ephiriel drew in the rowing boat._

 _The man lay down on the ground and coughed ﬁt to burst his lungs. He gasped for breath and said, 'Gratie, gratie. . .'_

 _Elisabet tried to explain that they were on their way to Bethlehem to greet the Christ-child and that he needn't be frightened. Impuriel had begun circling round him._

 _'Fear not,' he said, in a voice as soft as silk, 'and be in no Wise afraid. But you should not have been all alone on the sea if you can't swim, for you can't always expect an angel to be around. We wander about only very rarely, you know.'_

 _It didn't look as if Impuriel's advice was any comfort to the man, but the cherub sat down beside him, patted him on the cheek, and went on repeating 'Fear not'. It must have had an effect, for the man got to his feet and trudged back to his boat. He lifted a little lamb out of it and walked back towards them._

 _'Agnus Dei,' he said._

 _That means 'God's Lamb', and the lamb joined the rest of the ﬂock of sheep without protest. Joshua struck his shepherd's crook on the ground and said, 'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!' and they sprang off again. At the very end of the Venetian Gulf stood the old Roman town of Aquileia. As they ran, Ephiriel pointed to a monastery._

 _'The time is 718 years after Christ. But there have been Christian communities here from ancient times.'_

 _The procession of pilgrims sped on through the town of Trieste. Then they continued south, across country, through Croatia._

* * *

The procession walked out of his line of sight. Jean, even worse off than earlier, took a deep breath. Or he tried. In the middle of drawing in a breath of fresh air, another, sharper scent came in as well.

And there, in the midst of yet another swirling storm of colors, he could seen none other than…

"Mike?"

The blond man was sitting on a case, holding a cup up to his nose, drawing in the essence of what was in the cup. Jean could recognize the smell now. The bitter scent was the one from ale. He had heard that the Commander had ordered ingredients for the alcoholic drink, but he hadn't been down and looked at it himself. However, having it in his nose, it seemed like they would get a real treat at the party.

Another swirl, and he was upstairs again, Levi and the tree had gotten back to the new headquarters.

"I've taken a look around. All looks to be in an acceptable condition, but I have to say that much can be learned. Petra?" He turned to the girl. "I assume you were the one in charge of the meeting quarters?"

"Y-yes!"

"Good. The scent there..."

"Pine fragrance."

Levi gave a satisfied nod.

* * *

Suddenly Jean was back in his room again. "What the hell was that?" He asked.

"You're back." Marco smiled at him from the bed across from his. "So, how was everyone today?"

"I-," Jean had originally planned to keep questioning, but changed his mind. "I didn't see much... but I did see something strange... " He thought back on the conversation between Petra and Oluo. Had that really been real? It had seemed so distant…

Spotting the expression on his friend's face, Marco gave a sad nod. "That's right. Not all is perfect. More things than imaginable are more complicated than they seem. It's hard to understand at times what is going on and happening around you."

"I wish you could have been here..."

"Me too."

"I…" Hesitating, Jean looked away from his friend. "Was it bad? "

"It ended pretty quickly"

"If I'd been there..."

Shaking his head, a sad expression washed across Marco's face. "There's nothing you could have done about it. It was probably a good thing that you weren't there, or you might have gotten hurt as well.

Thankful for his friends words, Jean returned the smile. "Still, if there was a chance for me to go back and change it..."

"I know." Marco's eyes glinted. "I know you would."

And so, with only a whisper left in the room, Marco disappeared.

"Thank you."

* * *

 **A/N:  
** Question of the day:  
Which of the ghosts from 'A Christmas Carol' would you rather get a visit from?  
The Past? The Present? The Future?

Make sure to tell me in a review, okay?

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	17. 16 - December 16th

**A/N:  
** Just hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring-ting-tingling too,  
Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you,  
Outside the snow is falling and friends are calling, "YOO HOO !",  
Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you.

Make sure you leave a review at the end of the chapter.

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 16TH

* * *

The sun had barely licked the treetops when Krista and Ymir had set out. The two of them had asked the commander for favor, and after hearing them out, Erwin had been more than happy to accept their request.

So, after grabbing a few pieces of bread and a jar of jam, the two went outside and got into the sleigh. Although it was cold outside, the weather was good, and Ymir faced no problem gathering the horses and fastening them to the sleigh.

Pulling out the sleigh, Ymir jumped around and, after making sure that Krista was wrapped in way too many blankets, they set out.

It was not like the two girls had any specific plans. When they had been skating, Ymir had been the one to control the sleigh. Watching Ymir do this, Krista had seen something in Ymir's eyes that she rarely saw - love. Of course, this feeling was constantly there when the two of them were together, but when it came to any other subject or hobby, Krista couldn't help but think Ymir's eyes looked dead.

That was until they had been in a sleigh together. As they sped off, her long, brown hair would dance around her, and a shimmer in her dark eyes was all Krista needed to know that Ymir truly enjoyed this.

Over the ice, and across the open land, they drove, the horse running so fast that it might have thought it had wings, and wanted to jump into the air. The wind was whipping their faces, but neither Ymir og Krista minded. The scenery was beautiful, and they needed to get some adrenalin pumping.

As they came to the plains that bordered the unknown areas, Ymir pulled on the reins, slowing the horses to a walk. Ymir then fastened the leather reins to the sleigh, and turned around to pick up the little bag of food.

"Here," she picked up two pieces of bread and handed them to Krista. "Jam?"

"Yes, please."

After smearing their bread with the fruit jam, both of them made sure to lick their finger, making sure not to waste a single drop of it.

Sitting there in silence, they looked at the nature surrounding them. It was all flat, except a few trees that were placed here and there. Looking up at the sky above them, they could see the sun shine sideways, making the sky almost green this morning.

"We should probably head back soon," Krista sad, a brush of sadness to her voice. "They are probably eating breakfast right now."

"Probably." Ymir sighed. She'd thought about it more than once before. Thought about how it would be if she just decided to take Krista. Take her away with her, away from this life. Back when they were still recruits in the 104th Training Corps, she'd always kept an eye on her little, blonde friend, always making sure she wasn't lacking anything.

They had trained together, and Ymir had studied harder than she ever would have bothered, just to be able to tutor Krista herself if that was what she needed. In the end, by making sure her own grades were put down, she was able to make Krista one of the 10. It had been a hard choice, however. Although Ymir was selfish, she was not gonna put Krista's life at risk. As one of the 10, Krista would have the opportunity to join the Military Police in the Capital - to go somewhere she'd be safe and where she would be able to live out her life without any disturbances from the titans, while Ymir…. Well, there wasn't much that could be done for her.

By letting Krista take her own spot, Ymir was no longer entitled to go to the Capital. Not that she would if Krista couldn't have stayed by her side. However, the divide between number 10 and 11 was the toughest - the line that could mean the difference between a happy life and a painful death.

Ymir had never told Krista about the truth of her grade. It was something that the tall girl would never say - it was better if Krista didn't know.

Although she could have gone to the capital, Krista had chosen another path. Ymir had not been to pleased with this choice, but it still made it easier. Wanting to join the survey corpse was a choice that made it possible for Ymir to go with Krista, and that would let them stay together, just as they had up until then.

Ymir grabbed a hold of the reins again, and was about to take control - the horse had been free to move as she pleased - when Krista stopped her.

"Wait!"

Pulling the reins, Ymir stopped the sleigh with an elegant motion.

"There," Krista pointed out of the sleigh and down at the snow. "Isn't that a flower?"

Jumping down from the sleigh, Ymir went over to where Krista had pointed, and yes, there it was: a flower.

"Don't!" Krista called out, just as Ymir was about to pick it, "I don't want it to die."

Ymir nodded and got back into the sleigh. Gripping ahold of the reins, the tall girl muttered something barely audible: "To Bethlehem we go."

Krista laughed. "To Bethlehem To Bethlehem"

* * *

"Today, we'll spend the entire day decorating!" Hange shouted out at the top of her voice.

"Indeed," Erwin nodded. "But Armin, I thought we might start the day off by reading another part of this miraculous story."

Nodding, Armin went upstairs to fetch the paper. Descending the stairs, he brought his blanket with him. Handling the piece of paper to the Commander, he found his place and wrapped himself tighter with the blanket.

Erwin read:

* * *

 _The sixteenth of December: Daniel  
_ _… every person's imagination is a little different …_

* * *

 _It happened in the days when the old Roman Empire was divided into two. In both East and West the Christian religion had taken root in the people, but the Christian world was still being plundered by heathen peoples. They delayed the building of new churches, stole gold and silver, and pillaged whole cities._

 _A decree was sent out from the Pope in Rome that the Church's property should be defended, against the foreign races who had not yet heard about Jesus. That was when a strange procession advanced through time and space on its way to Bethlehem, the city of David. They came from a distant future._

 _At Salonae in Dalmatia they stopped in front of the ancient ruins of a Roman imperial palace. At ﬁrst the ruins seemed abandoned, but the godly company entered by way of a small gate in the wall and discovered that they were teeming with people. It was like tearing the bark away from an old log to see insects creeping inside._

 _When the angel Ephiriel saw all the people in the town he said, 'The angel watch says 688 years after Christ. We are standing inside the walls of the palace of the Emperor Diocletian. Diocletian was born in this part of the country about 250 years after Christ. He fought against the nomadic tribes and tried to rebuild the old Roman Empire. He closed the Christian churches and started to persecute the Christians cruelly. When he died he was buried here in the great palace. But only a few years after his death the whole of the Roman Empire became Christian. A complete town grew up inside the old palace. Much later, this town will be called Split.'_

 _While Ephiriel was talking, a half-naked little boy caught sight of them and called out, 'Angelos! Angelos!'_

 _'What does that mean?' Elisabet asked Ephiriel._

 _'It means angels. I don't suppose he's met very many of us before.'_

 _The next moment all the people had seen them. The children stood still and gazed up at them in amazement, but the grown-ups threw themselves down and murmured words like 'Gloria', 'Amen' and 'Alleluia' over and over again._

 _Impuriel began hovering above their heads._

 _'Be not in the slightest bit afraid,' he said. 'For 688 years ago there was born unto you in Bethlehem, the city of David, the best ever saviour. Now we are travelling from the four corners of the earth to pay Him homage.'_

 _A man in black clothes came towards them._

 _'The priest,' whispered Ephiriel._

 _He said something that Elisabet didn't understand, but the angel explained that he was asking them to greet the Christ-child from this little corner too._

 _Joshua struck his shepherd's crook against the old town wall and said, 'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

 _They hurried on down through Dalmatia. They sprang over hills and ridges and often had good views of the Adriatic Sea. Ephiriel pointed to a small harbour town below._

 _'The time is 659. That little town is called Ragusa and has just been founded by Greeks from Peloponnesus. Later on the town will become an important trading and shipping centre and will be called Dubrovnik.'_

 _On a rise with a view over the sea they met another shepherd, who was sitting under a pine tree to protect himself from the strong sun. He had the same light blue tunic as Joshua, Jacob and Isaac. When he saw the procession of pilgrims approaching, he got to his feet and came to meet them._

 _'Glory to God in the highest,' he said. 'My name is Daniel and I have been waiting here for many years, but I knew you would pass through Dalmatia some time during the seventh century. I am coming with you to Bethlehem.'_

 _'Yes, indeed!' said Impuriel the cherub. 'For you are one of us.'_

 _Joshua struck his crook against the pine tree._

 _'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

 _Soon they came to a large lake. At the end of the lake was a town._

 _'This town is called Scodra, and the lake is the Lake of Scodra,' said Ephiriel. 'After many centuries this land will be called Albania. We have left the Roman Catholic area now, and have reached the territory that will be governed from Byzantium.'_

 _Elisabet was confused by all the strange names but the angel explained, 'The angel watch shows that 602 years have passed since Jesus was born. At this time, and throughout the Middle Ages, the Christian church had two different capitals. The one is Rome, and the other is Byzantium at the entrance to the Black Sea.'_

 _'But didn't they believe the same things?'_

 _'On the whole, yes, but they showed it in slightly different ways. People have come and gone, and church traditions and services have come and gone too, even though the start of it all was something that happened one Christmas night in Bethlehem, the city of David.'_

 _Impuriel rufﬂed his wings and said, 'Yes, indeed! For there was only one Mary and only one Christ-child. Since then many millions of images of Mary and the Christ-child have been painted and fashioned, and none of them are alike. For even though there was only one Christ-child, every person's imagination is a little different.'_

 _Elisabet hid these words in her heart. But Impuriel beat his wings and came right up to her._

 _'God created only one Adam and one Eve as well. They were little children who played hide-and-seek and climbed the trees in the Garden of Eden, for there was no point in creating a lovely garden if there were no children who could play in it._

 _'But these two children ate the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, and then they grew up. That was the end of playing in the world, but only for a short while, for soon grown-up Adam and grown-up Eve had children, and then grandchildren as well. So God saw to it that there would always be plenty of children in the world. There's no point in creating a whole world if there are no children to keep on discovering it. That's how God goes on creating the world over and over again. He will never quite ﬁnish it, for new children keep on arriving, and they discover the world for the very ﬁrst time. Yes, indeed!'_

 _The two Wise Men looked at one another._

 _'Well, well!' said Balthazar._

 _'This explanation is perhaps a little dubious,' added Caspar. 'But all good stories may be understood in at least two or three ways, and only one story can be told at a time.'_

 _'But even though many billions of children have lived on earth, no two of them have been exactly alike,' said Impuriel. 'There are no two blades of grass in the whole of creation that are exactly alike. That's because God in heaven is so full of imagination that every now and again it bubbles over and a little spills over onto the earth. "Fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth," He said as He slaved away at creating the world in six days. "Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind. . ." '_

 _Impuriel peered sideways at Elisabet. 'I know it all by heart.'_

 _Elisabet clapped her hands in admiration. She had always found it difﬁcult to learn old stories and rhymes by heart._

 _Joshua thumped his shepherd's crook on the ground. 'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!' On they went, up through the Macedonian highlands._

* * *

As Krista and Ymir got to the house, they were met by an amazing sight. The whole front area of the house was covered in something that they couldn't really recognize. It was green, but it wasn't grass or pine. No, it was something long and thin, that looked almost like an arm.

"Hello, there~" Someone sang, as they headed for the stable and unbridled the horse. "Did you two have a good time?"

Krista smiled as the scientist walked up to them. "Yes," she replied, "It was such nice weather this morning. You should have seen it out there. It was all still and quiet, the colors were playing across the sky."

"Really?" An almost jealous look appeared in Hange's eyes, but they were soon replaced by a teasing glint instead. "Maybe I should take you next time, Krista? We could go, just the two of us?"

The look she received from Ymir would have scared any other man or woman. However, Hange was not one to let herself be frightened by anything - seldomly even by rational things, and so she just laughed at the glare and put her arm around Krista's shoulders.

"I think we might have made Ymir here a little bit jealous, or what do you think, Krista?"

The blonde hesitated, unsure how much to say about the relation she shared with her best friends and protector. "Well, it would be unfair to Ymir to not invite her. She was the one who found the spot, and she is also the one to drive the sleigh. I guess, if you would like to join, then you could come with us the next time?"

"Awee, so cute you are." Ruffling Krista's hair, Hange let go of the girl. She hadn't really meant anything of what she'd been saying, however, now that she had gotten an invitation by the little angel, she might as well consider coming along on their next outing. That was not the opinion of Ymir, she noticed as she looked over at the freckled face. Although the brunette had many jealous and self-centered features, they often brought positive results, and they all had their roots in Krista-darling.

"Come inside, okay?" Hange told them. "We're finally doing decorations today - wait until you see what we've done inside! It's amazing!"

Promising they would come inside soon, Ymir and Krista went into the stables to make sure their horse, now named Peggie, had enough food and water after their trip.

Hange went inside before them. She opened the door and had to press herself through the narrow opening the door was allowed. "Eren, could you be a dear and move those boxes over?"

Eren did as he was told, and soon the scientist was inside. She looked around the room, and a pleased expression grew on her face. This was going to be so much fun. Never had she been allowed to go all crazy and make any of their headquarters pretty. Every time she had suggested it, she had been turned down and Levi had told her that it had been an idiotic idea. Still, she had tried to make the best out of it, but every time she got up a nice ribbon or a Titan statue, it disappeared over night.

But this time it was something else. The Commander himself had said to make up the place so that it would be cozy, and to get this 'Christmas feeling', mentioned on the papers, into their lives. From the second she had heard that, Hange's brain had began planning everything. Decorations, plants, how to move everything around to make the room more open and inviting, everything was in her plans. So, getting up on the chair, she threw the green boa she had made that night. It hadn't been easy. The wood and the pine was not in the mood to work together, and it had taken the scientist both brute force as well as patience to be able to braid them together.

"There!" She looked at her masterpiece. Pleased with herself, she gave a nod and hummed as she climbed down. "How is it going with the tree?"

"It's coming along." Bertolt smiled, a cute dimple in his cheek. "All we need now it's the-"

"Glitter incoming!"

Rushing over from the far end of the room, came none other than Connie. Opening his hands, the air turned sparkly, as glitter flew everywhere.

"Connie!" Petra gasped, but the strictness soon disappeared into laugher, "What on earth are you doing?"

The boy narrowed his eyes, and then kicked off from the ground, and flew through the air, letting go of the powder, letting it rain down on the tree, just as Ymir and Krista walked through the door.

"Wow." Krista was in awe. "So pretty."

"HANGE!"

The mood was broken, and all turned to look at the scientist, who simply shrugged her shoulders in response.

"Hange..." The captain came inside, boots hammering against the floor. "Would you care to explain this?"

"Is that...?" Reiner blinked. It was.

In his hands, the captain was holding something that resembled a mix of a bush, an apple tree, and a glitter fairy. However, if one took the time to take a closer look at it, one could see that it was…

"Is that your three dimensional maneuver gear?"

"Was," the captain corrected Reiner. "Now it is nothing but a useless piece of junk."

"I think it looks pretty," Hange insisted, "More festive."

"It's supposed to be working. Working!" Turning around, the captain said a final thing; that sent shivers down the recruits - and especially Eren's back. "Foureyes. My office. Now."

"Oh, dear." A wry smile grew on her face, and she trailed him down the hall.

* * *

 **A/N:  
** Question of today:  
When do you start decorating for Christmas?  
Do you do all at the same time? Or bit by bit?

Please leave a review with your thoughts, okay?

 **Please like /follow me if you enjoy my stuff:**  
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	18. 17 - December 17th

**A/N:  
** It's time to celebrate! Let's bring out the snacks and the drinks!

Make sure to leave a review at the end of each chapter - answering the question of the day^^

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 17TH

* * *

"How're the potatoes doing?" Petra called out over her shoulder.

Jean checked the potatoes on the stove. "Give them another minute, and they'll be perfect."

"Great, I'll get the eggnog then, and set the table."

"Great idea. Remember the extra bowl."

"Ah, yes, of course." Petra hurried over to grab an extra bowl. They had plans to make a lot of eggnog for tonight's party. It had been quite some time since she had had a drink with her friends, and there were many here that she had never tasted even a drop of alcohol around. So, giggling at all the memories that she would make this evening, she began mixing the ingredients.

First, grabbing the eggs, she separated them, placing the yolks in one bowl, and then the whites in another. Then, pouring sugar into it, she began mixing it until it became a smooth and creamy substance. Grabbing ahold of a spoon, she dipped it into the light yellow mix and tasted it. Satisfied, she continued, adding milk and cream, mixing it until it was all one drink.

"Here," Jean handed her yet another bowl. "You need two, right?"

"Thank you." Grateful for the help, Petra moved over to the other side of the kitchen and placed the two other bowls there, and then repeated the process with the new bowls.

That done, she put a cloth on top of it, and carried it out the back, into a box of snow that she had made the day before.

"Jean?" she asked as she headed inside again. "Have you seen the liquor?"

"No?"

"Hm... " A wrinkle appeared on her nose, and, kicking her shoes off, she headed to the office. It didn't take long until she returned - her arms hugging nearly ten brown bottles.

"Don't tell me you're gonna use all of them?" Jean joked.

Joining in on his joke, she gave him a playful look, sticking her tongue out at him at the same time.

Placing all the bottles on the counter, she opened one of them, and poured it into the creamy mix. Then, opening the second one, she poured half of it, but then, after a second of considering, she poured all except a little.

"And that?" Jean asked as he saw the leftovers.

"We're gonna drink," Petra said, putting the bottle to her mouth, drinking down half of it before handing it to Jean. "Here. To the chefs, right?"

Blinking at her, Jean accepted it. He'd never thought of Petra as the kind that enjoyed drinking - not like this at least. Still, it wasn't against his liking. "Aaah!" he sighed as the liquid made its way drown his throat, burning his inner parts as it passed most of them by. "The commander sure knows how to get the good stuff."

"Yeah," Petra agreed. "He never seems to disappoint."

The potatoes were done, and after Jean parted them and put them on the serving platters, Petra went to inform the rest of the inhabitants that the party was starting. Most of them were expected to be upstairs. After request, The commander had decided to make it a costume party, and people were busy finding something that could pass as a costume.

However, she had a hunch that there might still be some people left in the the office. So, making her way there, she opened the door and found that she had been right.

"What?" From behind his desk, the captain was looking at her with a dull expression on his face.

"You still haven't changed?" Petra shook her head.

"No..."

"But I just told you the drinks and snacks were as good as finished."

"And?"

Petra sighed. Sometimes she almost wanted to mother the short captain. Thinking of it, a giggle grew in her throat and made its way up and out of her mouth.

Levi looked at her with eyes that might seem bored, but Petra knew her captain - better than she thought he knew she knew him - and could see that there was a curious spark there.

"You should get dressed."

"I am dressed." Drawing in the air, a strong scent filled his nostrils. He sighed "You've been drinking."

She said nothing, just sent him a smile, and left to go upstairs.

It was as she thought. All of the others were upstairs. First, she headed to her own room. As she has foreseen, both Gunther and Eld were already in their costumes. The sight of them made her giggle even more, and she couldn't stop looking at the long red and white stockings they wore.

"Don't laugh." Gunther complained, the bridge of his nose gaining a red shade.

Eld smiled at his friend's reaction. "At least not until you get into your own - then we can laugh at you as well."

"It won't be much to laugh about." The voice came from the last bed. On this laid Oluo, still dressed in his normal clothing. "You already look silly. That outfit won't really make any difference. Eyh!"

The pillow smashed into his face, and removing it from his eyes, he could see Petra, with a grin on her face.

"You're just jealous because you know how cute I'm gonna look in it."

"Am not." Oluo responded, his voice a tad higher than normal. "And even if that was the case, what difference would it make. It's a silly costume anyway. I bet even Hange would look good in it."

Grinning, Petra picked up the neatly folded bundle on her bed and headed to the bathroom to get changed. The fact that Oluo had as good as admitted that she was most likely going to look cute in the elf costume, made the girl let out another giggle. However, she soon stopped herself. She really hadn't had THAT much alcohol, had she? It was only a swallow or two. That was… how strong had the liqour been? She had expected it to be the usual that she used when she was home with her father or with her friends. Jean had said it was good quality. Did that mean that there was a chance the liquor actually was…? Petra swallowed. If she was right, then there would be one hell of a circus.

Still, there was nothing to do about it now. So, without worrying much more about it, she began dressing herself. It didn't take long, and soon she was able to return to her room - just in time to see Oluo pull up his long johns.

"Nice underwear," she commented, and, before he could come up with a comeback, she was out the door and heading over to the the neighbours.

Soon all the rooms were informed of the event starting, and they all gathered downstairs to get their snack and celebratory drinks.

Coming downstairs in the fashions of a polar bear and a grizzly bear, Reiner and Bertolt made their way over to the bowl and filled up their glasses. Tasting it, Bertolt filled it up even more, almost making it flow over onto the floor.

After them, Sasha and Ymir came in a procession behind one of the prettiest things that Reiner thought he had ever seen.

"Wow! You're just the most adorable thing!" Petra whined as she almost ran over to Krista to take a closer look at the costume. "An angel! It really suits you!"

Blushing, Krista returned the compliment to Petra's own costume.

"This thing?" She snorted. "At least it looks better on me than on certain others." She sent a shifty look over at the stairs where, at that moment, the rest of the Special Operations Squad, made their way way passed Sasha - who seemed to have managed to fasten the button on her santa dress on the stairs.

"Watch out-!" Petra's warning was too late. Down the stairs, at the speed of a falling star, came exactly that. Connie, who all had expected to wear what he had found a few days ago, had found a piece of yellow fabric, and was now, fittingly, tumbling down the stairs past Sasha.

"Are you alright?" Eld asked as Connie landed by his feet.

Jumping back on his feet, Connie nodded before crawling up half of the stairs to help Sasha disentangle her dress.

"Well," Erwin said, as he came from outdoors with a set of horns on his head. However, they were not like the ones that Hange wore, as she came in behind him, but bigger and looking like they were once in the form of a...

"Did you kill a moose?" Sasha, freed from the grip of the stairs, had seen the headpiece and came over, drooling. "Are we going to eat it?"

Erwin laughed. "No, I'm afraid we're not having moose on the menu, Sasha, but you are right; this certainly is from a moose."

"Where did you get that?" Reiner asked. "I mean, if you didn't kill the animal."

"It was packed away in the basement." Hange explained. "And from what I've read about the animal, it's supposed to be the king of the forest."

"I'm no king." Erwin argued.

"Well, I mean to disagree." Hange went over to the bowl and poured herself a glass - as well as one for the commander. "You're the king in this house, aren't you?"

"Huh, a king, are you now?" the laughed that followed came from none other than the former commander himself, Keith Shadis. "I see you're not only taking my place, but now you're planning to take the king's as well."

"Well, what are you wearing?" Hange complained as she saw the clothes Shadis were dressed in. "Didn't you get my notice about the dress code? I thought I told you -"

"Oh, you've told me quite a lot over the years, Squad leader Zöe."

"Call me Hange."

"Here we go again," Oluo mumbled to himself.

"What do you mean?" Bertolt asked, taking a swig from his glass.

"Well, there are these rumors going around." He looked to make sure that the leaders couldn't hear them. "But it seems like Hange has a crush on him."

"On him?! On Keith Shadis?!"

"Shh!" Oluo hushed. "Yes, on Shadis."

"Wow." Reiner didn't know what to think. Ever since he had first met the crazy woman, he had know that she was a bit, well, crazy, but Shadis. What in the world did she see in him? Strict and Scary? Was that her thing?

"Ah, Armin!"

Erwin's call made them all jump, worried he might have heard more than he was supposed to. However, looking in the direction the commander was waving, they could see Armin, dressed as a snowman, coming down with something white in his hand.

"You've read my mind." Erwin smiled. "Shall we do it at once?"

His suggestion was accepted, and they all gathered around Eld, who was the lucky reader of today's piece of paper.

* * *

The seventeenth of December: Seraphiel

… Many things have been done in the name of Jesus  
that heaven is not very happy about …

* * *

 _It was the very end of the sixth century. Across the Macedonian chain of mountains sped a long procession of pilgrims. Down on the bank of the River Axios, a sheep farmer raised his eyes to the mountains and saw the seven sheep rolling down the mountainside like a pearl necklace. Around them ﬂuttered a white bird. Behind the sheep came four men, one of them holding a shepherd's crook. Behind the four shepherds came even more people._

 _The amazing sight lasted only for a second or two, then it was gone. The Greek sheep farmer stood rubbing his eyes, but then he remembered that his father had told him once of a similar vision many years ago, when he saw a mysterious company escorted by two angels._

 _Long after the vision of the pilgrims' procession had gone, the sheep farmer realised that the white bird had not been a bird after all. He, too, had seen one of the angels of the Lord._

 _The pilgrims followed the river down to where it ran out into the Thermaic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. Elisabet had never seen such blue water._

 _Ephiriel pointed up at a mountain peak far away to the right of the Gulf they were gazing at._

 _'That's the peak of Mount Olympus. In the old days the Greeks believed the gods lived there. They were called Zeus and Apollo, Athene and Aphrodite. But now angel time tells us that 569 years have passed since the birth of Jesus, and there is no one who believes in the Greek gods any more.'_

 _'Do they believe in Jesus?' asked Elisabet._

 _The angel nodded. 'But it's only a few years since the Church closed the ancient School of Philosophy in Athens. That was founded almost a thousand years ago by a famous philosopher called Plato.'_

 _'Why did they have to close the old school?'_

 _Ephiriel said something that Elisabet hid in her heart._

 _'Many things have been done in the name of Jesus that heaven is not very happy about. Jesus wanted to talk to everyone. He never asked them to keep silent. Only a few years later Paul came to Athens. He was the ﬁrst great missionary for Christendom, and when he arrived in Athens he wanted to talk to the Greek philosophers. He asked them to listen to the words of the Lord, but he wanted to hear what they thought as well.'_

 _He couldn't say any more because Joshua struck the ground with his shepherd's crook and said, 'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

 _After a while they came to a city which stood at the innermost point of the Gulf. Ephiriel said that the time was 551, that the city was called Thessalonica and that the Romans had made it the capital of Macedonia._

 _'As early as ﬁfty years after the birth of Jesus, Paul established a Christian community here. And we're still a long way from the Holy Land. Paul wrote two letters to the Christians in this city. We can read them to this day, for both those letters are in the Bible.'_

 _Elisabet thought about the angel's words. She would not have believed it possible to keep a few letters so long._

 _They entered the city by the town gate. It was early in the morning and hardly a soul was to be seen in the streets. Ephiriel pointed to the many churches and said that some of them were already several hundred years old. He stopped beside one of them and said, 'Fifteen hundred years will pass, and this church of St George will still be standing here.'_

 _Then they sped further east to another city._

 _'This is Philippi,' said Ephiriel. 'Here Paul made his ﬁrst speech on European soil, and established the ﬁrst Christian community in Europe. In the Bible there is a letter he wrote to the Philippians when he was imprisoned for the sake of his faith.'_

 _Ephiriel pointed to an octagonal church. All of a sudden one of the doors was opened from the inside. lmpuriel had already started to say, 'Fear not,' when a new angel strode out of the octagonal church. He took a few steps towards Elisabet and said, 'Greetings, my daughter. I am Seraphiel, and I am coming with you to Bethlehem in order to ride on the clouds of heaven and welcome the Christ-child into the world.'_

 _Joshua struck his shepherd's crook against the church wall. '_

 _'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

 _They set off along the old road between the Ionian Sea and Constantinople. Seraphiel told them that the road was called the Via Egnatia. As they ran, the angel Ephiriel said, 'The time is 511 years after Christ, and we shall be in Constantinople before it's 500.'_

* * *

"Another angel!" Krista exclaimed.

"Yes, but you're still the prettiest."

"Oh, Ymir, stop saying that." Krista giggled, cuddling up next to Ymir.

On the other side of the room, Reiner rolled his eyes. Ymir was just too much. Snorting, he looked around at the others. Most of them seemed to be in quite a good mood - and some even in a little too good of a mood. Seeing them like this gave the ox of a man an idea.

"Who's up for a game of truth or dare?"

"What's that?" Eren asked. "It doesn't sound fun, exactly."

"It's a silly game made up to force your friends to tell their secrets or to have them do things against their will."

"Annie!" Petra jumped up and gave Annie a hug.

The blond girl's eyes widened, and for a second it seemed as if she was going to shove the girl away, but then her eyes seemed to calm.

"I didn't think you'd come down." Although she was letting go of the hug, Petra still kept a grip on the girl's shoulders. She was happy that she was there with them, even though Annie previously that evening had told them that she was to stay in her room.

"Let's do this," she insisted, pulling Annie down on the floor with her. "So, what do we do?"

"We gather in a circle," Reiner explained, as he moved down to sit at the floor. "All should be able to look at each other. But first, and this is very important, all those who aren't one hundred percent willing to answer or do ANYTHING, should get out."

Hearing that, several shook their heads and, seeing the flames in Hange's eyes, they got up and left. In the end, only thirteen were left to join the game. However, the decrease in number of participants didn't seem to bother Reiner too much.

"Okay, so you're all in? That's great."

"Shouldn't we go somewhere else? Somewhere a little more private?" Mike asked. "Not that I'm particularly embarrassed about my secrets, but with all the others in the room-"

"Great idea, Mike!" Hange cut in. "Let's go to our room. It will be perfect since Keith, Mike and I all live there."

The others agreed, and soon the group went up to room 3.

It was a little cramped up there, but by placing the upper mattresses on the floor between the bunkbeds, they somehow managed to get everyone seated. On one bed, Mike, Hange, and Keith had found their seats. Sasha, Levi and Annie had taken the other bed, and on the floor between them sat Bertolt, Reiner, Oluo, Connie, Armin, Eren and Mikasa.

"Okay, so you wanna do this back and forth, or in order?"

"Back and forth." Keith insisted. "That'll keep 'em on their toes."

"But you'll learn the most if you go the round," argued Hange.

The discussion went back and forth, and in the end they had to vote. In the end, they ended up going for the round - as this would let all of them both ask questions and answer.

Harking, Reiner put his arm in the air. "Since I'm such a nice guy, I'll volunteer as first. Truth."

"Is it true that you are in love with Krista?" Sasha asked before anyone else could come with suggestions.

"Yes, it is." Reiner answered bluntly.

"That's no fun" From her seat, Hange complained. "Of course he would answer that. No, what you must ask him about, kids, are his inner and darkest secrets."

"Next round, that is," Reiner winked at the scientist. "You all have to have answer first."

"True. That gives me time to think as well." She turned to Bertolt. "Truth or dare?"

"Me? Ehm.." Unsure, Bertolt took another big swig of his eggnog. "Truth?"

"Aah! You people are so boooring. Well, okay." Hange turned to the others. "How about we ask about the thing that keeps him awake in bed, eh?" No complaints were heard, and Hange grinned. "So how about it, Bert? What's keeping from your sleep?"

"Oh, I, well." The tall man looked around the room. The question was not the kind that he had expected. He tried to think, but the mist of eggnog made it more and more difficult to get things straight. "I, " Bertolt suddenly remembered. "That day by the wall. The way it just-"

Cutting him off with a loud cough, Reiner bent towards him, almost whispering (although way, way too loud) "That's not what I heard last night!"

"Oh!" Hange was hooked. "What DID he say. Tell! tell!"

"Annie," Reiner mimicked, "Annie, Annie."

Laughter filled the room by all - all except for a bright red Bertolt, and Annie - who looked more bored than anything.

* * *

The game continued, and one after the other, all seemed to fall prey to the almost demonic Hange.

"Ahahhhhaaaaa~"

All turned to look at the roar.

"Ahahhhhaaaaa~"

"She's not gonna stop is she?" Levi commented, taking another big swig as he watched the still laughing Hange.

"Oh, let her be, will ya?" Keith Shadis got to his feet. "The gal's just having a good time. No need to be so harsh on her."

The recruits from the 104th training corps couldn't believe their own ears. Was Shadis, THE STRICTEST of all they had known through the military really telling them not to be too harsh - and to Hange no less - the craziest, most troublesome, loudest, messiest soldier they had ever known?

"Hear that?" Hange's laughed continued, while she leaned forward to get closer to the captain. "Don't be so strict on me, captain. Ahahhhhaaaaa~"

"Anyone care to join for a smoke?"

"Me, mee~" getting on her own two feet, Hange grabbed on to the ex-commanders arm. "Let's go get some air, yes?"

Levi let out a snort. "Fresh. I doubt that. But, please do, I need some peace of mind myself."

"Oh, Levi. Missing me already?"

"..."

"Don't worry, I'll be riiiiight back." With that, they disappeared out the door, but not before Hange was able to blow Levi a kiss.

"...Crazy lady..." With that, Levi took down the shot in his hand, before filling

it again and downing that one as well.

"Captain, should you really-"

"I'm going to bed." Levi announced, getting on his feet without a trace of the many, many shots he'd taken that evening. Then, leaving the room, he got a feeling that something was going to go incredibly wrong. However, as his head hit the pillow, the world disappeared, protecting the captain from the noises of the night.

* * *

 **A/N:  
** Question of the day:  
If you were to play 'Truth and dare' with me and I chose truth:  
What would YOU have asked me?

Please leave a review with your thoughts, okay?

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	19. 18 - December 18th

**A/N:  
** Parties can be fun, but there is always the day after.  
What actually happened yesterday?

Make sure to leave a review at the end of the chapter to keep me motivated :P

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 18TH

* * *

It was already afternoon when people finally got out of their beds. It had been a long night yesterday, and many had had just a few glasses too much of eggnog. However, they could not let themselves stay too long in their beds as there were things that needed to be done.

"Get up."

A grunt left Oluo as he turned around in his sleep, wanting to continue his dream.

"Now!"

A pounding pain spread through his body and he opened his mouth, gasping for air.

"Downstairs. Now."

The Captain left the man laying like that, continuing to the next room.

Finally they had all gathered outside. Except a few individuals, they all looked tired, and besides Oluo, Eren and Connie seemed to have a little trouble breathing. The night hadn't been kind to them, and neither had Levi, this morning. Bertolt, on the other hand, whom most had expected to lay flat out, half dead after yesterday's adventure, seemed shockingly fine. If one hadn't known better, one would have thought that he had been with Armin, Erwin, and the giggling girls, and gone to bed early.

"I hope you are all prepared for today?" Levi scanned the miserable looking group in front of him, doubting that they were anywhere near ready for what was to come. "As you all know, the food supply is sufficient, but as the weather is unpredictable, it is best to be well prepared. And besides," he added, an annoyed wrinkle showing on his brows, "The commander thought it fitting to have a celebratory dinner on the 24th."

A quiet cheer broke out in the group, and some life seemed to return to their faces.

"So," Levi cut them off with a swift flick of his hand. "Today will be used to gain the meat necessary. We are to slaughter four of the pigs, and-"

"Pigs?" Jean asked. "We don't have any pigs here. The only animals we have are the horses - and they are needed for us to survive out here."

Levi sighed. "That is the common belief among you recruits, but we do have other animals as well."

"What?"

"But I haven't seen any, have you?"

"Silent." he spoke up to silence the mumbling and questioning. "Yes. We do have some animals, and you will be led to them in just a short while, as well as the knives and the buckets." The group kept their eyes on him, and so he continued. "I hope there is no need for me to explain the importance of the cleanliness of this job."

"I knew it." Connie whispered to Sasha. "It's more cleaning for the two of us."

"Indeed, Connie." The glare they received was of the lowest regard. "You and Sasha will be on cleaning duty, but will be under the supervision of Petra."

"Yes, sir!" Petra saluted. "I'll do my best, sir!"

"Thank you. Well, as I was saying; cleanliness is of the highest importance today. Not only for the sake of our surroundings, but also because we do not have the resources to waste by not using every part of the animal. So, make sure to save both the meat pieces as well as the blood and the brook. The skin should be cleanly cut and rinsed as well."

Although he could not hear a sound of it, he could see their bodies sighing.

"Also," he added, with grave importance in his voice, "The blood might be a factor in attracting the Titans, so make the spillage a minimum. I will pick out a few to join me in surveying the area for titans. By any signal from us, be ready to fight. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" The attitude among his audience seemed to have improved. The mentioning of a possible attack was nothing to laugh off. Truth be told, there was no evidence that the Titans would be interested in the smell of blood from other beings than humans, but they couldn't take any chances. Besides, Levi let out a quiet snort. If it made the soldiers put more effort into their job and hindering the spillage, then that was for the good.

"Okay, so let's go over the teams. Hange?" He looked left and right. "Hange?"

There was no response, and neither could he see any sign of the bushy ponytail or glasses anywhere. "Damn!" he muttered under his breath. Of all times, Hange chose this day to be absent. It was so typical. In any other setting, Levi could have taken charge himself - and probably more comfortable with having it under control, but today's chore was a little too… messy… for his liking. Sure, they were now told to keep the spillage to a minimum, but that would undoubtedly be more spillage than none.

"Hange!" he called out a final time, but this time gave no new results. Or?

There was a sudden sound from over by the stables. Wrinkling his forehead, a thought made its way into his mind. It was so preposterous that he wanted to let it go, but for a reason it was stuck to his mind.

"Damn her," he muttered as he walked away from the group and headed to the stables. If this really turned out to be what he feared, then he really had no idea what to do with the woman. Swallowing, preparing himself for the worst, he knocked hard on the stable door before entering. "Han- HANGE!"

In the midst of the hay, on a mattress of shattered clothing, laid the squad leader. Naked. Not knowing where to look, Levi ended up looking at the wall behind the sleeping woman. "Hange," he repeated, his voice in a poisonous whisper. "You've better not have-"

A grunt made him stop, his eyes widening. She had! Walking closer to her, another body came into sight.

"HANGEEE!"

This time there was a response, and both the scientist and the former commander sat up in a hurry.

"Captain!" Keith's eyes widened. "I-I, We.. eh."

"Oh, hi Leevii." A yawn escaped her lips and she rolled back down on the temporary bed. "Did you wanna join in?"

"No…" Levi looked at her with a sour taste in his mouth. So his prediction had been true.

It was common talk around the veterans that Hange had been a fan of the ex-captain for the longest time. From what he knew, they hadn't met many times - as both she and himself had gotten into their current positions after Erwin had taken over the role as Commander. However, there seemed that only the knowledge of the man had been enough to fuel her insane brain with ideas, and now, it seemed the ideas had taken a… well, physical form.

"Get up. You're supposed to teach them how to cut and carve the animals."

"Ah, yeah," Getting onto her feet, Hange let out a yawn and stretched to the roof of the stables. "I'd forgotten. How long until they're ready?"

"30 minutes ago..."

"Oh, dear..." Hange let out a little laugh. "No wonder you're looking this sour. Fine. I'll get to it."

"Clothes!" Levi grabbed hold of Hange's shoulder as she passed him, clearly on her way out to demonstrate all the ways to cut open an animal.

"Uh? Ahaha~!" Her laughter continued, "Of course. Silly me."

"Don't tell me you're still drunk..."

"Drunk? Nooo, I wouldn't say, or what?" Pulling a sweater over her head, she looked over at the man still in the bed, giving him a wink. "Did I seem drunk to you?"

"Ehm.."

"I will divide them into groups and set them to clean up." Levi insisted. "Just get the clothes on, and come out. Make sure to visit the bath before you even touch any of the food."

"Then why do I need to put the clothes on. I mean, I'm gonna take them off when I wash anyway."

"..."

"It was a joke!" Hange sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll get ready. Now go, I think you're making him shy."

Sending a last glance at Keith Shadis, Levi turned and left the stables.

* * *

And so, although it was many hours later than originally planned, they animals were made into food. The process became, as Levi had feared, messy, and the tumbling stomachs after yesterday didn't help. Throughout the day, not one, but four of the recruits had to rush over to the corner bucket, emptying their stomachs at the sight of what they saw.

The captain kept as far away from the disgusting sights (and smells) as he could, making sure to always keep moving between the towers of their little castle. It was more difficult than it seemed, and so he had chosen to let Jean Kirstein be the one to join him on the patrol. The two of them kept moving, circling the building; constantly on the lookout for an incoming Titan attack.

* * *

"Okay, gather around!"

Relieved, everyone put down the bloody bits and parts in front of them and headed towards Erwin. It had been a hard day, and all they longed for was to never see a piece of meat again - ever - or, until dinner.

"Good job today." The commander praised. He himself had not partaken in the activity, but been in the office, with Mike and Eld, working on future strategies. "I've taken a look at the result of your hard labor, and I'm glad to say that it seems we'll have enough for some time to come - as well as a fantastic meal on Christmas Eve!"

Cheer followed, and after a few more praising words, they all went inside to clean up and get into new sets of clothing.

"It's all over my shirt!" Oluo complained to his roommates. "You think it will ever come out?"

"Calm down," Gunther handed him a small container. "Here, use this."

"What is it?" Skeptical, the filthy man opened it and sniffed its contents. "Euuuch! Wha-" Coughing and spitting, he kept gasping for air.

"Oh, come on. It's not that bad." Gunther rolled his eyes. "I thought you were supposed to be the 'tough' man."

Unable to answer, the man kept waving his arms, gasping for air. He was in no way prepared for the strong smell. He had thought it something gentle – but thinking about it, he should have expected it to be painful to the sense of smell. How else would it be able to get all the blood out of his shirt? Cursing himself, he went over to the table and grabbed his glass of water, emptying it in the vague hope that it might help – it didn't.

To be honest, Uluo had the feeling that the last 24 hours had been some of the worst he had had in quite a while. Not only had he been awoken by a kick and been covered in blood and intestines, but there were still reminders from yesterday. First of all, his stomach had yet to settle down, and although he had been able to hold it in, it was still fighting the rest of his body. His head wasn't with him either – proven by his now maimed nose. However, although these were all making him feel like crap, they didn't compare to what he had done last night...

Petra, sweet, although annoying, Petra. It had been a while since he had admitted to himself that he had an interest in the girl. It wasn't, like, romantic; No, back then it was a simple acknowledgment to himself that he would actually care quite a lot if he was not able to be around her. It didn't sound like much, but those who knew him, knew that Oluo didn't let himself get too close or friendly with people. It had been different when he first joined the military, but as time passed, and more and more of his friends died around him, he became more reserved with his feelings. So, giving Petra a place in his heart was something quite special. The heart. Yes. It had been the heart, and in the heart she had stayed. He hadn't realized how the girl had grown on him, but last night, while in the midst of eggnogging, the thought had suddenly hit him, and pondering upon it for a good fifteen minutes, he had realized something about himself: Oluo Bozado was in love with Petra Ral.

It was weird to think about, and after realizing it, he had gone to have even more eggnog, and after that, well, he now knew that he should have stopped there. However, that was not the opinion of drunk him, and he had wandered to find the girl, and noticing she was giggling with the horse faced boy, he had gone over to her and…

"So, Petra, I've noticed you're a fan of animals."

"Huh?" The girl blinked at him. "Well, yeah, how did you know?"

"It's not that difficult to figure out. I mean, here you are, trying to mount a horse." He leaned closer to her, breathing her directly in the face, "What, the dog didn't want you?"

The look on her face had made him sober in a second, and he had realized too late the mistake he had made.

"Oh, Pet-"

"Just go." Her tongue was the most poisonous snake. "Just go somewhere I can't see an insect like you."

She could have hit him, kicked him, but she hadn't. All she had given him were those words, nothing more. After that, he hadn't been able to get near her. That night she hadn't returned to her bed, but had bunked up with Jean in the room he shared with Reiner and Bertolt. At first it had upset him – thinking something might have happened between the two, but he had soon calmed down. Petra was not that type of girl, besides, he knew how infatuated she was with the captain, and that someone like the horse face would never compare to him. Besides, he had seen them around, and they seemed to get along well, and after what he had done, it was no wonder that she accepted an offer of a spare bed if offered – which Oluo was sure Jean had done.

Sighing, Oluo bent his head back and let another glass of water run down his face and into his nose. It hurt, but soon it helped, and he was slowly regaining his sense of smell.

* * *

After they had all eaten their dinner, Armin announced that he was going to read today's chapter. However,it seemed like most had other plans for the evening – mostly laying down on their beds to get back some of their sleep. So, instead of reading in the main room, Armin invited the few interested into the office, so that Erwin could take part. Sitting down on the chairs and desks, he picked the paper up from his pocket and read:

* * *

The eighteenth of December: The Emperor Augustus  
… God's kingdom is open to everyone, even people who travel without a ticket.' …

* * *

 _A strange procession swept through Thrace towards Constantinople on their way to Bethlehem. Five hundred years had passed since Jesus was born in a stable, swaddled in a piece of cloth, and placed in a manger because there was no room for Mary and Joseph in the inn. But that old story was already familiar in large areas of the world._

 _They stopped in front of one of the city gates that was guarded by_ _soldiers. The soldiers drew their swords and raised their spears as soon_ _as the ﬁrst sheep reached the gate. Then the angel Seraphiel ﬂew up_ _beside the sheep and placed himself between them and the soldiers._

 _'Be not afraid,' he said. 'We are on our way to Bethlehem to pay homage to the Christ-child. You must allow us to pass.'_

 _The soldiers dropped their weapons and threw themselves on the ground. One of them signalled that they could pass through the citygate. Soon all the pilgrims were inside the solid city walls._

 _It was early in the morning, and the city was not yet awake. The procession of pilgrims stopped on a hill with a good view of the harbour and the Bosporus, which divides Europe from Asia. The sound was so narrow that they could see across to the other side._

 _'The time is 495,' said Ephiriel. 'Originally the city was called Byzantium, but in the year of Our Lord 330 it was made the capital of the Roman Empire by the Emperor Constantine. First he called the city New Rome, but it was soon given the name Constantinople. After that the city took back the old Greek name, Byzantium. In just under a thousand years, in 1453, the city will be conquered by the Turks, and they will give it the name Istanbul.'_

 _'Had the soldiers heard about Jesus?' Elisabet wanted to know._

 _'We can take that for granted. The Emperor Constantine made Christianity a lawful religion in the Roman Empire as early as 313. He was baptised himself just before he died. Some years later, in 380, Christianity became the state religion throughout the Roman Empire.'_

 _'However do you manage to remember all the dates?' asked. Elisabet._

 _'I only have to follow the angel watch,' replied Ephiriel. 'Since we don't have to bother about all those seconds, minutes, hours and days, it's not so difﬁcult to remember the years. Another date we must notice is the year 395, exactly a hundred years ago. That was when the Roman Empire was divided, and Constantinople became the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire.'_

 _The angel Seraphiel came up. He pointed at a beautiful church._

 _'That church is called a basilica,' he said, 'and was built in honour of God's wisdom by the Emperor Constantine. In a few years it will be destroyed by ﬁre, but on the same spot the lovely Santa Sophia church will be built. It will stand as a landmark for centuries.'_

 _'We must get across the Bosporus,' said Quirinius. 'Then it's not very far to Syria. Dixi!'_

 _Joshua thumped his shepherd's crook on the ground._

 _'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

 _They ran down through the city and before long were standing on the furthest point of the Golden Horn. At the edge of the quay they were met by a magniﬁcent man in colourful clothes and with a glittering sceptre in his hand. In the other hand he was holding a thick book._

 _Impuriel was already airborne in order to say 'Fear not', but the handsome man took no notice of the cherub. He came straight towards them._

 _'I am the Emperor Augustus and I shall accompany you across the Bosporus. I order you to accept this gesture without any unpleasant protests.'_

 _He showed them a boat with several large sails. The sheep had already begun to jump on board._

 _'Then you are one of us,' said Ephiriel._

 _Elisabet turned to the angel and said, 'I didn't know the Emperor Augustus was a Christian.'_

 _A mysterious smile passed over the angel's face._

 _'But the old Roman Emperor has been taking part in the Christmas gospel as a kind of stowaway for many centuries. And God's kingdom is open to everyone, even people who travel without a ticket.'_

 _Elisabet thought the angel's words made heaven even bigger than she had imagined. She hid what he had said in her heart._

 _Soon the large company were over on the other side of the Bosporus. As they landed, Elisabet greeted the Roman Emperor and asked what kind of book he had under his arm. She thought he was going to say it was the Bible, or at any rate a hymn book, for heaven could surely demand this much of an old emperor who had suddenly decided to go along with them to Bethlehem. But the Emperor Augustus said, 'It is the sacred census.'_

 _He said no more. He was so handsome and so proud that he clearly did not like talking for too long at a time, at any rate not to little girls. Elisabet thought that was a bit odd, for it surely didn't happen every day that a Roman emperor was able to greet a girl who had run off after a lamb who had escaped from a store in Norway and headed for Bethlehem._

 _Joshua struck the ground with his crook and reminded them where they were going. But they hadn't run very far before they stopped on a hill above the town of Chalcedon._

 _The town was teeming with priests: They were like a swarm of bees. Elisabet was astonished, in fact almost scared, to see so many priests at once._

 _'Fear not,' said the angel Seraphiel. 'The time is 451 years after the birth of Jesus, and the biggest conference in the history of the Christian Church is being held down there. The town is called Chalcedon, and priests and bishops from the whole of the Christian world have poured in.'_

 _'What are they talking about?' Elisabet wanted to know._

 _The angel laughed. 'They're trying to reach agreement about correct Christian doctrine.'_

 _'Are they going to agree?'_

 _'After long discussions they'll ﬁnally make a declaration that says that Jesus was both God and man. But they're discussing a great deal else as well. Some of them are so eager to ﬁnd out what is the correct belief that in their haste they forget what is most important.'_

 _'And what's that?' asked Elisabet._

 _'That Jesus came into the world to teach people to be kind to one another. No other lesson is more difﬁcult for a human being to learn, or more important. It's not as important to know how many angels there are in heaven or whether God has a splinter in His little ﬁnger.'_

 _'Has he really got one?'_

 _'It doesn't matter, I told you. It's more important to see the beam in your own eye.'_

 _Elisabet found that very difﬁcult to understand, but she hid the angel's words in her heart. Perhaps she would understand them better another time._

 _The two Wise Men were clearly not entirely satisﬁed with what the angel had said._

 _'It is, strictly speaking, not necessary to believe in angels at all,' said Caspar. 'Many people believe that such concepts have very little to do with what Jesus wished to teach us.'_

 _'The angel stories may only be fairy stories,' added Balthazar. 'But that Jesus wished to teach humans to be kind to one another was no fairy story.'_

 _Only now did Ephiriel begin to argue._

 _'We angels are not used to using such strong words,' he said in a gentle voice. 'All the same, I must say that this is one of the silliest things I've ever heard, at least on this pilgrimage. You should be ashamed of yourselves, both of you. Or you should stay in the Orient and not start wandering westwards with such irresponsible talk.'_

 _'Yes, indeed,' added Impuriel. 'You should be ashamed of yourselves, both of you. I'm offended.'_

 _The next moment Impuriel did something Elisabet thought angels in heaven would never do. He put his hand in front of his offended face and thumbed his nose at the two Wise Men from the Orient!_

 _'Bah to you!' said the cherub. 'Yes, indeed!'_

 _A certain nervousness began to spread among the godly company. The angel Seraphiel unfolded his arms to show he was not carrying any weapons._

 _'It's easy to lose courage when even your nearest and dearest lose faith in you. But although we can disagree about such important matters of belief, we mustn't under any circumstances begin to quarrel. Now let's try to forget the unkind things that have been said and the unkindness that was thumbed.'_

 _Joshua the shepherd was clearly in agreement with the last speaker, for now he thumped his crook on the ground and said, 'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

 _And with that they started moving down through Phrygia._

* * *

"That sounds like you!" Krista noted as the chapter ended. "You're like that Augustus character."

"Oh?" This made Armin curious. "How come?"

"That book he was carrying." The girl explained. "You're usually carrying around a book. Although, I guess this month you've been carrying little scraps of paper instead."

Armin saw her point. Although he had been chosen as the 'Elisabet' of the group, he might have to change the roles around.

"Well, I think you might do well as a little santa as well," Erwin teased. "That is what you called them the other day, wasn't it? Those creatures living on farms?"

"Well, yes. They are called little santas." Armin confirmed. "Although, again, I fail to see how I'm like one of them. I guess you could say that we are on a farm now, but I have never been good at the santa chores. I do like spending time with horses, but I fear they don't like me too much."

"Haha, well, I think they are quite fond of you." Erwin laughed. "You're lucky your hair is so thick and strong, or you might have a bald spot about now."

Amin smiled. It was true. The other day he had been in the stable to help out in Jean's place, but it seemed like the horses weren't too interested in the hay and vegetables he offered them, but much rathered prefered the long yellow hair on his head. It had been a struggle to make them let go, but with the combined efforts of himself and Annie, he had finally gotten free – although with a few strands of hair less than when he walked into the stable. It wasn't like he was superficial, but there was a difference between that and having half of your hair in a life-and-death situation. He had been fretting for a while, and suddenly, Annie had grabbed him by the shoulders and made him stop. To his surprise, she hadn't done so to make him stop annoying her, but instead she took him over to a hayball and made him sit down. Then, picking up one of the horse brushes, she began trailing it through his hair, making sure there was no damage done to his scalp. It was an unexpected kindness, but when he tried to thank her, she just shrugged her shoulders and went back to work.

"Yeah, I guess I am. But I still can't figure out why it went after my hair. Carrots are so much better – both in taste and nutrition."

Laughing, they continued their talk, not finding similarities between Armin and an everyday carrot.

* * *

In the basement, Petra and Eren were almost done with their project. Neither of them were fans of beer. Although they could tolerate the drinking of it, the smell of it brewing was something they could live without. However, the smell came with the production, and there wasn't much they could do about it. That was, until Petra remembered that when she was little, her grandmother had made a lot of scented candles and lit them to remove the stench from the garbage next to their house. So, although she wasn't sure how to make them, she and Eren went to gather burnt down lights and melted them down in a casserole, adding spices until the smell of it was so strong that they barely smelled anything else.

"It might be a bit too strong." Petra confessed.

"So what?" Eren poured the substance into the 'form'. "As long as it covers that damned beer stench, I won't complain."

Petra nodded. Although it might be too much, the important thing was to get another scent in the air. Besides, she told herself, a smile on her lips, the spices made it smell like cookies and spiced wine – giving the room an even more festive feeling.

So, gathering up a couple of the candles, the two of them headed downstairs and placed them on the crate besides the beer. Then, lighting them, they hurried upstairs, making sure not to breath in the beer scent.

Upstairs, Eren got another idea. All this candlemaking reminded him of his mother, and how his mother sometimes used to put oils into the fireplace when she had cleaned or they were expecting company. He didn't remember much about it, but thinking back, he remembered always getting a relaxed and happy feeling whenever she did it. So, with this in mind, and because Mikasa wasn't nearby at the time – she had been called to a meeting with the commander and captain Levi, he inquired whether Petra knew of any such oils.

"No, I'm afraid I don't. However," she went over to the cabinet, and, after searching through it, she got out some pale purple plants. "Lavender," she explained as she handed them to Eren. "They have quite a strong scent as well."

Nodding, Eren went over to the fireplace, and after a second of consideration, he let go of a little part of it, letting it fall down into the flames.

They two of them then brew a pot of lavender tea, and sat down to await the results.

And how they felt it. Only a couple of minutes later, the room was filled with the flower scent, and it was almost overwhelming. Almost. That was, of course, until Mike, who had been riding the entire day with Hange, walked in through the door. As he opened it, one might have thought that the man was hit in the face by a hammer. His expression stiffened, and soon after he fell to the ground, looking dead as a fly.

"Mike!" Running over to her fallen friend, Petra made sure to fetch a glass of water. "Are you okay?"

Beside them, seemingly without a worry in life, Hange drew in the scent. "Ah, no wonder he collapsed." She uncloaked herself and went over to the kettle and poured herself a cup of tea. "He's sensitive to smells, remember? And this," She filled her nostrils once more. "personally I'm all for it, especially lavender – your choice, Petra? But poor Mike... he didn't stand a chance."

"What should we do?" Eren had gotten over to the blond man. "Should we get him out in the fresh air?"

"That will work," Hange sipped her tea. "There's nothing much you can do. Just get him out or upstairs."

Nodding, Eren and Petra grabbed the man by one arm each and carried him outside. There, placing him on a bench of snow that had been made by Mikasa the previous day, they let him sit. Then, running inside, Petra soon returned with a blanket that she wrapped tightly around the man. However, she still felt bad, so she went back inside to pick up her drink and the glass of water, and then she sat down beside him, making sure that she could give it to him whenever he would finally wake up.

* * *

 **A/N:  
** Question of the day:  
Have you ever made you own candles?  
What kind? Where / How did you learn it?

Please leave a review with your thoughts, okay?

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	20. 19 - December 19th

**A/N:  
** An unfortunate event might lead to happy ones.  
In more than one way.

Make sure to leave a review at the end of each chapter to tell me what you think ;)

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 19TH

* * *

"Hand me that honey, will you- SASHA!"

Looking up from the can of honey, the foodie glanced over at Gunther. "What?"

"Don't eat all of it. We're supposed to use it in our candles."

Sasha sighed and, after one last spoonful, she handed it to him.

Inspired by yesterday's candles, Erwin had decided that it would be a nice touch to add different ingredients into the remaining vox. However, the ingredients would have to be measured to make sure that the area was still livable for Mike. So, with Mike at the head of the table, sniffing away at each ingredient to tell exactly how much could be used - as well as not to use, and what went well with what - the group of soldiers were all getting into the making of candles.

There were unfortunately not much to choose from when it came to colors or shapes, but using what they had, they managed to mix the white vox together with pigments both from nature, and their the headquarters, and the results were candles in shades of brown, beige, grey, cream, and a dirty green. Using the colors as an indicator, they mixed together a couple of nice scents - everyone's favorite seeming to be the green, pine scented one, and so the vox was poured into cylinders and glasses before getting their wick inserted.

Happy with the result, all the containers were put in a box and carried outside to cool. They knew it wouldn't take too long, but they still all went inside to enjoy a cup of tea while waiting.

"Now all we have to do is wait." Petra told them. "Yesterday it took about fifteen minutes, so now might be a good time to read, Armin."

Armin agreed, and after fetching the day's piece of paper and handing it to Mike, they all gathered in front of the fireplace to see what kind of story they would hear today.

* * *

The nineteenth of December: Melchior

… He thought it was such fun to throw gifts through people's windows …

* * *

 _A procession was speeding through Asia Minor one day towards the end of the fourth century. They traveled across the high plains of Phrygia and passed some salt lakes where the birds can stand on the water. On their long journey they encountered bears, wolves and jackals, but when a wolf or a bear came running towards them, they always managed to step aside by one or two weeks and avoid it. They climbed up through a pass in the high mountain range of Pamphylia, which stretches from east to west along the Mediterranean coast. A couple of thousand metres above sea level they caught sight of a ﬁgure dressed in green. It was a tall man, sitting like a living landmark at the watershed where the road began tilting downwards towards the Mediterranean Sea._

 _As soon as they noticed the ﬁgure in green, Caspar and Balthazar began waving their arms and tried to run past the sheep._

 _'Who's that?' asked Elisabet._

 _'He must certainly be one of us,' said the angel Ephiriel._

 _The stranger rose and threw his arms round Caspar and Balthazar._

 _'The circle is complete,' he announced solemnly._

 _Elisabet didn't understand this, but then the stranger came over and greeted her politely as well._

 _'Welcome to Pamphylia,' he said. 'My name is Melchior, Third Wise Man and King of Egriskulla.'_

 _Then Elisabet understood what he had meant by the circle being complete, for now all three Kings of Orient were gathered together._

 _'You have so many strange names,' she said. 'You're Wise Men, Kings of Orient, and Caspar, Balthazar, and Melchior.'_

 _Melchior smiled from ear to ear._

 _'We have still more names. In Greek we are called Galagat, Magalat, and Sakarin. Other people call us Magi. But it doesn't matter what they call us. We are part of this story on behalf of all people on earth who do not come from the Holy Land.'_

 _Elisabet looked up at the angel Ephiriel, and the angel nodded._

 _'That's quite true.'_

 _'Of course. One would not tell lies, surely?' continued Melchior. 'One would not have been a King of Orient unless one spoke the truth, surely? One would not have been particularly wise, either, only seeming-Wise?_

 _He was so funny when he talked that Elisabet couldn't help laughing._

 _He had more to say._

 _'Besides, I wouldn't have been called Melchior if I hadn't been fond of milk. Nor would I have been called Sakarin unless I was fond of sugar. In short, I am so happy that I often want to sing and dance. And I am always very happy every Christmas Eve, for that's when Jesus was born.'_

 _'That'll do,' said Joshua, striking a stone with his shepherd's crook. 'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

 _But Melchior spoke again. 'We must greet the Christmas Santa ﬁrst. He lives just below here.'_

 _With which they set off down the steep mountainsides towards the Mediterranean Sea. While they ran, Elisabet said, 'Is it really true that we're going to greet the Christmas Santa?'_

 _Ephiriel pointed down at a town clinging to the side of the mountain._

 _They could glimpse the Mediterranean in the background. 'The time is 322. The town is called Myra, and this is where Paul came when he was travelling to Rome to tell the capital of the Roman Empire about Jesus. He founded a Christian community in Myra too.'_

 _'I don't understand what that has to do with the Christmas Santa.'_

 _But the angel went on, 'Two hundred years after Paul came to Myra, a boy was born here who was called Nicholas. His parents were Christians, and later on Nicholas was elected Bishop of Myra. In Myra there lived a girl who was very poor because her father had lost everything he owned. She wanted to get married, but it was quite impossible because she had no money for her dowry. Bishop Nicholas wanted to help the poor girl, but he knew her family were too proud to accept a gift of money.'_

 _'Perhaps he could have put some money into her father's bank account,' suggested Elisabet._

 _'Yes, although this was a long time before such things as banks existed. But Nicholas did something similar. He crept out during the night and threw a bag of gold coins through their open window. In that way, the girl got the money to marry after all.'_

 _'That was kind of him.'_

 _'But it didn't stop there. He thought it was such fun to throw gifts through people's windows that he went on doing it. When he died, many legends were told about him. Later he became St Nicholas. That turned into Santa Claus, and in Norwegian into the 'Julenisse'. The word nisse comes from Nicholas, and so do the names Nils and Klaus.'_

 _'Did he have red clothes, a long white beard and a red hat?'_

 _'Wait and see,' said the angel Ephiriel._

 _The sun had not yet risen. They stopped in front of a low church building in Myra._

 _As soon as they stopped, the church door opened. Out strode a magniﬁcent man with a long red cloak, a long white beard, and a red hat. Round his neck he wore a large silver cross with a red stone in it. He almost looked like a Christmas Santa, but Ephiriel whispered in Elisabet's ear that the time was 325 years after the birth of Jesus and that the man was dressed in quite normal bishop's clothes. Only later was the red robe of the bishop exchanged for black clothes in some places._

 _'It is Bishop Nicholas of Myra,' whispered the angel._

 _Elisabet had an idea. 'Has it anything to do with myrrh?'_

 _'You do well to say so, for myrrh was one of the three Christmas gifts to the Christ-child,' said the angel with a smile. 'It's become the custom to give gifts at Christmas because of the gifts the Three Wise Men brought to the Christ-child, and because of Bishop Nicholas's generosity.'_

 _In his arms the man held three different caskets. He walked firmly towards the Three Kings of Orient, bowed low, and offered each of them a casket. Caspar's casket was full of shining gold coins. In Balthazar's casket was incense, and in Melchior's casket myrrh._

 _'We are on our way to Bethlehem,' said Caspar._

 _Bishop Nicholas laughed so that his beard shook. 'Ho, ho! So you must take a few little gifts for the Child in the manger. You simply must do that, mustn't you? Ho, ho!'_

 _Since Elisabet was standing in front of a real Christmas Santa, she ran right up to him and felt his red cloak. Then he bent down and lifted her up on his arm. She tried to pull his beard to ﬁnd out whether it was real, and it was._

 _'Why are you so kind?' she asked._

 _'Ho, ho!' laughed the man in red again. 'The more we give away, the richer we become, and the more we keep for ourselves, the poorer we become. That's the mystery of generosity, neither more nor less. But it's the mystery of poverty too.'_

 _The angel Impuriel clapped his hands. 'Well spoken, Bishop!'_

 _Bishop Nicholas continued, 'All those who lay up for themselves treasures upon earth will be poor one day, but those who have given away all they possess will never be poor. Besides, they have had great fun. Ho, ho! For the greatest joy on earth is generosity.'_

 _'That may be so,' said Elisabet, 'but ﬁrst you must own something to give away.'_

 _At that, the good-natured Bishop laughed so violently that his whole body shook. Elisabet almost felt seasick as she sat on his arm._

 _'Not at all,' he said, when he had swallowed enough of his laughter that there was room in his mouth for speaking as well._

 _'You needn't own anything at all to feel generosity ﬁzzing in your veins. A little smile is enough, or something you've made yourself.'_

 _And with those words he put Elisabet down again on the mosaic ﬂoor in front of the church._

 _Joshua thumped his shepherd's crook on the ground. 'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

 _As they moved off they could hear the Bishop's laughter behind them in the church square._

 _'Ho-ho! Ho-ho! Ho-ho!'_

* * *

After listening to the chapter of the day, Mikasa felt like being alone. It was the first time she had felt like this in a while, but the chapter had really got her thinking. So, without saying much, she picked up one of the candles, and a set of matches, and to the main door. There she put her cape on and went over to the igloo. Although it had been there for quite a while, Mikasa had yet to spend any time in it. Sure, she had peered inside after it was first made, but she hadn't taken the time to 'enjoy it' as Armin had called it. Pushing the candle inside in front of her, the Eurasian girl made her way through the tunnel opening and into the small room inside. It was bigger than she remembered, and removing her cape, she put it down to make a seat for herself. Placing the light beside her, she got out her flint and used it to strike fire to the wick. Soon the whole igloo was filled with a sweet scent. It was nothing like the one that had met her in the door earlier, this was a calming scent, a mix of honey and dried berries. She was really fond of these lights. It was the first thing that the mother of Eren had taught her when she first moved in with them. It was a nice thing and she soon learned that although she had learned a lot from her own mother, there were many more things to learn from Carla.

As the scent filled the igloo, memories of times long past came crawling back to her. Normally when this happened, she did her best to push them down and away, but today, for once, she would let herself think about it. Closing her eyes and leaning back against the snowy wall, it all came back to her. Piece by piece, the bits of memories gathered and put themselves together to an image. Soon it was just as though she was back there, back in the kitchen of the Yeager family. She was sitting by the kitchen table, her hands busy peeling the carrots that they would have for dinner. It hadn't been her job. Mikasa had originally been given the task of peeling the potatoes, but it had taken her little time, and she had offered Eren to help him out with the carrots as well. The poor boy had struggled so much with getting it right using the knife, and in the end Mikasa had told him she'd be fine doing them all on her own.

So there she sat, looking over at the fireplace where her friend was sitting and playing with the iron poker. She should probably tell him to stop, but she didn't want to. The light from the flames was shining gently across his face, giving it a warm glow that made her smile from the bottom of her heart.

A sound from the door made both of the children look over their shoulders. Carla Yeager was such a beautiful woman. Not only was her appearance one of the prettiest and most comfortable that Mikasa had ever seen, but inside she was the prettiest of all: her heart. Although Carla seemed a strict mother at times, there was no doubt that she did all that she did out of love for her son, and, ever since Mikasa moved in, with love for her. That was something Mikasa thought she might have lost forever. After her parents' death, she had been fully prepared to go back home and clean it up, before continuing on her own. What else could she have done? She didn't have any other living relatives, and neither did they have neighbours living close by. So, of course she was ready to continue on her own, fighting each and every day, surviving the only way she knew how to – but not giving into death. And it was different now. She hadn't known what was happening to her inside that cabin, but for some reason, she felt stronger and more confident. It was like the hope she had had earlier – the hope that she would be able to survive on her own… now she knew it was possible.

She was all caught up with her own thoughts, and it was because of this, that the words of the man she barely remembered from a time long, long ago, surprised her so much.

Did she want to stay with them? With that man and his son? It was unexpected, and lost of words she had been standing there looking at the man in disbelief. And then, a gentle touch on her cheek, and the boy was wrapping his own scarf around her neck, telling her that she should stay warm.

And so she had. The red scarf had kept her warm through night and day through many, many years, but most importantly, it kept warming her heart. Her home, her family, her Eren: All were present in the scarf.

Hugging the scarf closely, letting the scent of it mix with the one in the igloo, the girl let herself fall even deeper into memories.

Running, the hilltop lay green with grass beneath their feet. They had been playing the entire day. Exhausted, Armin fell to the ground, the soft grass like a feather pillow. Eren and Mikasa noticed, and so they went back to him, and lay down beside him. Together they would all look up at the sky, seeing the white clouds drift across it. Smiling and laughing, they would lie there for hours, pointing out the different shapes formed by the clouds as they floated past them.

That was all Mikasa wanted. Her dream had no hopes for a marriage or kids. No, all that she wanted was for them to be able to be alone and far away from any (and all) dangers, and to live out their lives in peace, enjoying every, single day without having to worry about the world or what was happening to it.

But that was something that could never be. It was a dream from the past, and too much had changed for them to ever be able to get back to that dream. It wasn't only the circumstances that had changed. They themselves had changed as well. They had all grown - both with age and experience. There was no way that they could turn their backs now and just leave. That wasn't the truth, Mikasa knew that she probably could, she had know for a long time that all life was doomed to end, and if there was a chance for Eren and her to be far away from this war, she would chose that, many times over - even though the consequences might be dire for their friends. But it wasn't a choice she would make. Mikasa would never leave Eren behind, and Eren, now that he knew the truth - or that there was a truth to be found - there was no way that he would be able to turn his back and run - not as long as he was a Titan and had something to give to the fight. Not until it was all over. Mikasa knew that until there wasn't a single titan left in this world, her dream could never hope to see the light.

* * *

 **A/N:  
** Question of the day:  
If you could make whatever scented candle you wanted,  
what would it smell of?

Please leave a review with your thoughts, okay?

 **Please like /follow me if you enjoy my stuff:**  
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	21. 20 - December 20th

**A/N:  
** What is Christmas without cookies?

Make sure you leave a review at the end of each chapter :3

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 20TH

* * *

The mood was high as a sweet scent filled the air the morning of December 20th. The meat they had collected two days prior had all been handled and preserved so that it would be in good condition for a long time to come. However, it had been pointed out that they needed more than just meat, and so, as Petra and Sasha were making bread on the morning of the 20th, Commander Erwin Smith had announced that they would be making other doughy treats.

"Cookies?" Petra repeated, unsure whether or not her hearing was intact. Although it was highly unusual to let the soldiers have quality food and drink, it did happen - if only just at very special occasions. However, there had been no mentions of cookies! Why would the military eat cookies - let alone bake them? "Do you really mean-?"

"Yes!" A glow in the commander's eyes made any further questions unnecessary.

Petra had heard about the 'being bitten by the bug'- expression, but she thought that was reserved for activities and hobbies. However, looking at the expression on her superior's face, she couldn't help but think that he was bitten by the Christmas bug.

So, after the breads were set, the two girls began mixing another dough. This one was a sweeter kind, and as they worked on it, small smiles appeared on their faces.

Soon their friends came down to have their breakfast, and, learning what the girls were doing, many were more than happy to lend a hand shaping the cookies.

"Wow, this is just like when we were kids!" Eren exclaimed as he played the dough between his fingers, before looking over at his friend. "You remember, right?"

Mikasa nodded. Although Eren had hated most chores, he always made exceptions when it came down to things they could all do together. So, although it was more common for the girl of the house to stay inside and help with the baking and the boy to gather firewood, Mikasa often volunteered to get the wood. She didn't really mind which chore she was put to, and the beaming smile she got from him as she returned, would have made ten times the work totally worth it.

"Do you remember these?" She held up a circular form to him.

"Of course. It's like that cookie mom always gave us after we had helped out. I didn't know you remembered things like that. We were just kids."

"Of course." Mikasa smiled. "And you know what? I'm going to make lots of these, and you can only have one when I say so."

A frown began on his face, and for a second Mikasa worried that the little progress she had made with him the previous week would be wasted, but the frown was soon replaced by a grin.

"Sure," He grinned at her. "I'll do my best."

"Hey! Eren, Mikasa."

They turned to face the one calling them.

Levi, his apron tied tightly abound his waist, looked over at them. "Stop messing around and get to work."

"But we're making cookies today," Eren protested.

Levi did not respond, but continued working on the dough in front of him.

"What are you making?"

Looking over the captain's shoulder, Eren could make out a set of cookies.

"Wow! You're doing the badges?"

His outburst drew more people over, to look at the cookies made by humanity's strongest warrior.

"Wow!"

"Amazing!"

"Such detail!"

"Can you teach me?"

They all stood around him, admiring how he, to detail, made exact replicas of the emblems of all three branches of the military.

"Something is missing, isn't it."

The deep cough behind him made Levi turn around.

"Keith Shadis?"

"They're still missing the most essential part of the military."

Nothing more was said, and Levi Ackerman simply turned back to the dough. However, the comment hadn't passed by without notice, and he grabbed a new piece of dough and molded it into yet another shape.

"That's what I'm talking about," Keith slapped the captain on his back. "Now they're all gathered, eh?"

Slowly, still with the molding knife in his hand, Levi turned to face the leader of the recruits. Although he might seem like it, Levi was not particularity sour or easily irritated. The rumors and whispers circulating were all based on his not so great moments, and had often been noted down as he was particularity upset or worked up – and they were mostly caused by that damned Hange Zöe.

However, in the current situation, being handled like this, and not to mention the 'degrading position' he had found the man in just a couple a days ago, the captain could not let this slide.

"So," He began, his voice so deep that it almost rasped the floor, "since you have so many ideas, why don't you go confront the Commander, or the Squad Leader maybe, with it?"

"Well..." The man's eyes became even more narrow than usual by the mentioning of Hange. "They both seem busy, but," he raised a brow, "maybe I will give it another try."

An annoyed wrinkle appeared on the captain's brow. Although it seemed like the man was going to leave him be, the result was still not far from what he wanted. He'd expected the man to be more put back by his reference to his earlier endeavors, but it was as Levi had thought: The man was shameless.

"They are really well made. Truly," Petra picked up one of the cookies, careful not to crush it. "They are so detailed. Did you have anything to mold it after? A photo or anything."

Levi hadn't. He told the sergeant so, and as he did, the man seemed impressed. He didn't really understand the big deal. It had always been like that: he would just put a picture to mind, and then he used that to make what he would make. Not that he was baking cookies too often. Thinking about it, he couldn't remember having been near any sweet dough since Erwin had first brought him along to show him off at the royal feast a few years back. It had been a truly dreadful night, and Levi had wanted to leave as soon as he entered the hall.

It had been a nightmare throughout the whole visit. Erwin had told him that all he had to do was stay close, look respectable, and not speak without being spoken to first. That part was what Levi had agreed to. However, it seemed like the nobles of the feast had much more in mind. It turned out that he was not just a soldier – a brilliant and prominent one at that - but that he was preconceived more like the lapdog of the new commander. So, like all the poodles in the room, Levi was expected to entertain and to please, and in the middle of all the things that Erwin had made him do, Levi had ended up baking cookies. He had no idea how he had agreed to it, but somehow he ended up in the kitchens, with a little, old granny, making her cookies as she was talking with Erwin about a possible founding of the Scouts.

Shaking his head, he tried to rid himself of the memory of the pink cabinets and the mess he had discovered inside of them. Turning his attention back on his cookies, he grabbed a new chunk of dough and began molding a new set of badges. His favorite was the one for the scouts. The symmetric placement of the wings of freedom was easy to do, and there was a strange pride going through him as he looked down at the piece of dough. The others were easy as well. Like the survey corps, the recruits had a symmetrical design – and was even more simplistic. The Roses and Horse of the other seals were a little more difficult. The rose had seven petals, and these all had to be made individually. It was some job and it was not easy to make all the flowers look exactly the same. The same went for the horse's head used for the military police. The head itself was easy enough to make, but when he went on to make another horse, the form changed slightly.

* * *

Seeing the Captain Levi struggle with his cookie design, Petra decided not to bother him any more than necessary. So, making her way back to her own working area, she got a pan out, and began placing her own little cookies on them, making sure that there was more than enough room for them to grow as they baked, without having them touch any of the other cakes. Unlike her Captain, Petra had not gone for anything complicated. She had grown up with cookies that were plain to the eye and so she had made them today. Of course, she could have splashed out and made something like the Captain's, but today she wanted to stick with her own tradition. And, she told herself, it was probably not the best time for the world to see her non-existing sculpturing skills.

When all the cookies were on the pan, she carried it over to the corner cabinet of the kitchen. Although they had brought along a lot of food for this journey – and more had arrived with Keith and Annie, there was still some free space left. When they had first explored the kitchen and figured out where all the supplies should be stored, Petra had kept this cabinet unused. Then, she had cleaned it herself and when her bread dough was done, it had been put in the cabinet to rise nicely.

Walking over to that same closet, Petra put the pan inside of it and closed the door behind it. Not only would the cookies get a better temperature to prepare themselves in, but the stacking of the plates also saved them a lot of space.

Seeing what Petra did, more soldiers got their hands on their own pans, and put their own cookies inside the cabinet as well.

Hours had already passed since they first started that morning, and as Levi finally put his own cookies aside, he called lunch. The rest of the soldiers gathered, and after eating their food, it was decided it was time for another reading.

* * *

 _The twentieth of December: Cherubiel_

 _… something suddenly fell out of the sky …_

* * *

 _A procession was on its way through Asia Minor. During the third century it sped through Pamphylia and Cilicia south of the high Taurus mountains, crossing rivers, orchards and plateaux._

 _Sometimes the pilgrims made their way along steep slopes with old rock graves; sometimes they ﬂoundered along the edge of the beach so that the sand spurted up around them; sometimes they sped through Roman cities such as Attalia, Seleucia and Tarsus. At Tarsus they paused and looked around for a few seconds. The angel Ephiriel told them that it was Paul's birthplace._

 _On their journey the pilgrims passed Roman theatres, sports stadia, harbours, triumphal arches and temples. Now and again they saw something that might have been a Christian church._

 _The route was planned so that they should not attract too much attention. It took them a century to cross the country but they showed themselves only in the grey light of dawn before people had woken up. Here and there they frightened the wits out of a night watchman, or a ﬁsherman who was setting out his nets early. As a rule they sped on, and the poor man would be left standing rubbing his eyes, but sometimes the angel Impuriel called out that he should not be afraid._

 _For a human being doesn't often see one of the angels of the Lord, and even then the sight doesn't last longer than a second or two. Then it's easy to believe you've seen visions, especially if you're a poor night watchman who hasn't closed his eyes during the long hours of his spell of duty._

 _The mysterious procession sped round the Gulf of Alexandretta at the very end of the Mediterranean Sea. From now on, the way to Bethlehem went south along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. They arrived at the Syrian city of Antioch and stopped in front of the town gate._

 _'We are in the year of Our Lord 238,' said Ephiriel. 'This is where Paul's ﬁrst missionary journeys began. We ought to remember, too, that the word "Christian" was used for the ﬁrst time in Antioch.'_

 _'But weren't Jesus's disciples Christian?' Elisabet wanted to know._

 _'Yes and no,' replied Ephiriel. 'It took a long time for the ﬁrst Christians to begin calling themselves Christians, and the ﬁrst occasion when that happened was in this very city. Before then the Christians thought of themselves as Jews. Paul was a Jew too, but on his missionary journeys he found out that Romans and Greeks could also believe in Jesus. Paul thought they didn't need to become Jews before they began to believe in Jesus. They didn't need to follow all the old rules in the laws of Moses either. Because Jesus didn't talk to the Jews alone. He had something to say to all people.'_

 _The Wise Men came up beside Ephiriel._

 _'We are Wise Men from the Orient,' said Caspar, 'and Kings of Nubia, Sheba and Egryskulla. None of us has a drop of Jewish blood in our veins, but all the same, we are among the very ﬁrst to welcome the Christ-child into the world.'_

 _Joshua struck his shepherd's crook against the city wall._

 _'To Bethlehem!' he said. 'To Bethlehem!'_

 _The procession of pilgrims moved off on their way to Damascus, the capital of Syria._

 _After a while Ephiriel called to them to stop. They were on a deserted stretch of the old Roman road through Syria._

 _'Here it is,' said Ephiriel, pointing at a bright red poppy at the side of the road. He continued, 'The time is 235 years after the birth of Jesus. Two hundred years ago a miracle took place here, and it was of great importance for the history of the whole world.'_

 _The Three Wise Men lined up and bowed solemnly, and to show that he agreed, the Emperor Augustus planted his sceptre on the spot the angel had indicated. The four shepherds tried to collect the little ﬂock of sheep round the Emperor's sceptre. It shone like a small sun. Quirinius called their attention to the landscape and said, 'It's good to be home again. Now it's only a couple of hundred years since I was the Governor of Syria. Dixi.'_

 _'Excuse me for asking you so directly,' said Elisabet, 'but I may be the only person who doesn't understand what you're all talking about. Jesus wasn't born here, was he?'_

 _Ephiriel laughed._

 _'In the year of Our Lord 35 after Christ, a Jew from Tarsus in Asia Minor was on his way to Damascus. His Roman name was Paul, but his Jewish name was Saul. As a young man he had lived in Jerusalem where he studied the ancient Jewish scriptures. He may have met Jesus there and listened to what He had to say. But Paul was a Pharisee, and the Pharisees believed that people could keep in with God by following all the laws and precepts in the Books of Moses. He became one of the enthusiastic persecutors of the Christians. He helped to throw them in prison, and even helped to kill St Stephen.'_

 _'Then he was stupid,' said Elisabet._

 _Ephiriel and all the others nodded. The angel continued, 'But when he was on his way to Damascus to persecute the Christians there, he had a strange experience. Suddenly a light shone down from heaven, and Paul heard a voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"_

 _Paul asked who was calling him, and the answer was, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you have to do." Paul and the men who were with him were struck speechless. All of them had heard the voice speaking, but none of them had seen anything but the light from heaven.'_

 _'That's exactly how it was,' said Impuriel. 'The voice they heard didn't even say, "Fear not".'_

 _'Paul went in to Damascus and joined the congregation there. Before long he became the ﬁrst great Christian missionary. Paul was a Roman citizen, he spoke Greek, and Aramaic which was the language Jesus spoke. And he could read the scrolls of scripture in Hebrew. On his four missionary journeys he preached about Jesus in Greece and Rome, Syria and Asia Minor.'_

 _While Ephiriel was speaking something suddenly fell out of the sky. It happened so quickly that Elisabet didn't even have time to jump. At ﬁrst she thought it was a bird that had fallen to earth because it had forgotten to beat its wings. Then she saw that a new angel was standing in front of her._

 _'Fear not,' said the angel. 'I am Cherubiel and I shall accompany you on the last stage of your journey to Bethlehem.'_

 _The Emperor Augustus picked up the sceptre that had stood where Paul had heard the voice from heaven, the shepherds gave the sheep a little push, and Joshua exclaimed, "To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

* * *

After they had packed away the food, the second part of the sweet day began. This was declared by Erwin carrying in two bags. Those who had helped carrying in the new supplies from Keith and Annie felt they had seen it before, and that was true. In addition to the supplies, the commander had ordered quite a few luxurious products. Up until then they had seen both the liquor and the ingredients for beer - as well as an incredible amount of sugar - that they had now learned was meant for the baking. However, that was all they had thought about, but what he brought out now was yet another 'gift' to his crew.

"You all did a very good job on the butchering. I told you earlier that if you did excellent work, I would gift you with something special. Well, my friends, the products I saw were excellent, and you more than deserve what I have for you." He went over to the table and placed the bag on it. "In these bags you will find cocoa powder. When blending it in the right mixture, these will be hot chocolate, or chocolate that you can pour into shapes and serve cold. There are not too many shapes to choose from - so make sure that you share. Also," He looked in the direction of Sasha, "There isn't an endless amount of this, so make sure to divide it evenly between you."

Cheers broke out as he completed his instructions. This Christmas adventure had been turned into something all of them - even the worst of the doubters - had grown to enjoy.

Opening the bag, Annie got out two smaller bags containing brown powder. She continued to empty the bags until all the contents were on the table.

Annie counted the bags. "We have 7, 8, 9 - 9 bags of the powder."

"So as long as we heat it up and mix it in groups, it will be divided evenly between us?" Krista asked.

"It should"

"And that might save us from Sasha, too," Connie grinned, poking her with his elbow.

It was meant as a joke, but instead of the usual joke back or punch in the shoulder, no answer came from the girl. Worried, he looked up at her, and what he saw made his heart hurt. All who had been around Sasha for more than a little while knew that the girl was a fan of food. Whenever there was a piece of bread - or god help a piece of ham or beef - the girl's mouth, as well as eyes would water. There seemed like there was no bottom to her appetite, and one quickly learned to hold tight onto one's own food. However, the look he saw in her eyes now, it was not the one of just hunger and gloth, but there was a longing in there that he couldn't quite recognize.

"Sasha?" he tried, gently pulling on her sleeve. "Sash?"

"Eehe," Shaking her head it was as if she was brought back to life. "Sorry, yeah."

"Are you alright?"

"Sure, it's just been a really long time since I've had chocolate."

"Liar," Connie protested. "I saw you drinking a cup of it as late as yesterday."

"It's not the same," Sasha began.

"Sure it is. I mean, it's chocolate. Chocolate is chocolate"

"In this case, she's right, kid." The comment came from Mike.

The man seldomly spoke, making Connie curious. "Oh?"

"The cocoa powder in those bags is something far beyond your imagination. Compare it to a piece of dried meat and the juiciest beef you have ever tasted. That is the difference."

"Really?" Connie had a hard time believing the man. Could there really be such a big difference between two so similar products? He highly doubted that, and besides, he already had troubles enough tasting the difference between good milk and milk that had gone off. Who knew, maybe it would all be the same to him, regardless of what the others said. He was about to give up his chocolate, telling Sasha that she could have his part as well, when suddenly he got a great idea.

"Hmm… Interesting," he said, tasting the words. "Yeah, sure, I'll make some chocolate."

"Yeah?" Sasha asked.

"Mhm, I really wanna try tasting this amazing chocolate of yours. And besides," he added, "One time gotta be the first, right?"

Mike nodded.

"Let's get over there and make some chocolate!" Suddenly back to her old self, Sasha grasped Connie by the arm and close to fought her way over to the table to take a bag.

"Two on each, Two on each." Gunther had taken upon himself to be the one making sure that everyone got their right amount of powder, and was now passing them out, making a mental note of who teamed up with whom.

"Sasha and Connie!"

Gunther looked at both of them for a second before handing them the bag. Connie wasn't sure, but for some reason it felt as if the man was hiding a smile as he looked at them.

"Great! Let's do this!" Grabbing the closest set of shapes, Sasha continued to pull Connie until they were on the furthest part of the table. "Okay, should we just mix it all?"

Connie blinked. He didn't know.

"Okay, then… MIKE?"

Mike came to sit with them and soon they had mixed a bowl of something that, when heated up and mixed thoroughly together, and set to cool, would end up as chocolate.

It was easier than Connie had thought, and while making the chocolates he found himself really enjoying it. It was so fun actually, that he almost didn't mind saving all his chocolates so that he could give them to Sasha on christmas as his Secret Santa gift.

* * *

The cozy feeling in the room was broken by Erwin clapping his hands.

"First off: I hope you're all enjoying yourself."

There was agreeing mumbling.

"And second," He paused to take a bite of a cookie. "These," he waved it in the air. "These are amazing. Really. And the design-"

The cookie was ripped out of his fingers. "Oh, Levi, why-"

From her seat, Hange watched the scene. She had foreseen it from the moment the Commander went to check on the cookies that had been put in the oven and laid to rest on the bench. Erwin had always been a sucker for the visually pleasing, and she had known the Captain's would be chosen. Grabbing another of her own cookies, she leaned back with a vicious smile on her face. "Oh dear."

* * *

 **A/N:  
** Question of the day:  
What is your favorite cookie?

Please leave a review with your thoughts, okay?

 **Please like /follow me if you enjoy my stuff:**  
FaceBook: WinnifredArtemisDub  
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	22. 21 - December 21st

**A/N:  
** Are you one of them that likes to stay up for waaay too long?  
Well, then you will recognize a couple of things in this chapter.

Make sure you leave you comments in a review for each chapter :3

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 21ST

* * *

The house was bustling with activity. Normally at this hour, most would already be in bed, and the few awake would be sitting in front of the fireplace with a nice cup tea. However, tonight was not any night. No, today was the darkest of all nights - the night that was also the welcoming for shorter nights and longer days.

"It is a solstice; an astronomical event that occurs twice each year - on June 21st and December 21st. On these dates, the Sun reaches its most northerly or southerly excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere, and the seasons of the year are directly connected to both the solstices and the equinoxes." Armin had explained to them that very morning as they were having breakfast.

"The day of the solstice has either the most sunlight of the year - then it's called the 'summer solstice', or, in our case, the least sunlight of the year - making it the 'winter solstice'."

To celebrate this event, many of the soldiers had decided to stay up and enjoy the long night. Many of those participating had chosen to go to bed after having their meal, and they were now coming down the stairs with sleep in their eyes.

"So what is the plan?" Oluo yawned. "I hope this will be worth it."

"It will," Sasha promised them. "Back in Dauper, we had great pride in our solstice."

"You've celebrated this before?" Bertolt asked. "But isn't this one of the Christmas things?"

Amin shook his head. "Although the solstice is mentioned many times in connection to the celebration of Christmas, it does not have its origin there. The solstice has been celebrated for a long time, and the celebration is especially important to villages which make their living from hunting and gathering."

"Like us," Sasha grinned.

"That's excellent!" From his office, Commander Erwin Smith walked towards them, followed by the rest of the higher ups. "I take that as you being able to take the lead on today's activities, then."

Surprised, the village girl agreed. "Sure, I'll try my best."

"That's all I ask." Erwin gave her a wink. "Just imagine you're back home. Do it like that, just like that."

And so, under the watchful eye of Sasha, everyone began preparing for the long night that was to come. Even though Sasha had been unsure whether or not she would be able to arrange the event, she tried her best, and as things fell into place, she gained more and more confidence.

"Can any of you draw a horse?"

"A horse?" Jean raised a brow. "I hope this isn't meant as a joke." Although he had already been aware of his own similarities to a horse, it was a very different matter to hear it from his own friends. It had all started as a joke, but ever since they arrived at this new home of theirs, there had just been too many references to him as the 'horse face' to his liking.

"Oh, no no, not like that!" Sasha ensured him. "This is for a game that we usually play when it's solstice. You make a picture of a horse - as close to the real size as possible of course - and then you are supposed to pin a tail on it."

"Pin a tail on it?"

"Yeah, you see, you make the horse as it is supposed to be, but you leave out the tail. You make a tail, of course, but it's not on the drawing itself."

"Okay?" Jean raised a brow. "And I guess this tail will have some form of purpose?"

"It does. When everyone is ready, we will gather here, and then we will blindfold you one by one and spin you around until you barely remember you own name. Then, as you stagger around, you'll get the tail in you hand, and you are to try to pin it onto the horse - and hopefully on the back part."

"Doesn't sound too bad"

"You say that now, but wait until you have had the taste of the Blouse™ spinning." The girl grinned at him so strongly that Jean couldn't help but feel a little bit worried. It was just a game, right?

* * *

They searched around to find someone to draw the horse, and in the end they ended up in the office.

"Come on, pleeeeease, please, please."

"..."

"You know you're the only one who can make a realistic looking horse."

"..."

"Fine..." Sasha sighed. "I'll guess we just have to make do with this one then..." From her jacket, she pulled out a big piece of cloth - who knew how she had managed to get it in there in the first place - and held it up in front of the Captain.

The short man stiffened, and the next second he was on his feet. "I'll do it."

"Really?" Sasha blinked, doing her best to keep to her role. "Will you really, captain?"

"If that monstrosity is the other option…" He left the room, leaving a Sasha with a triumphant smile on her lips.

* * *

It didn't take long before Levi returned from his room. In his hands lay a canvas, and they went into the main hall to put it up

"That's so good!"

Compliments kept raining on Levi, but the Captain himself seemed to take no notice of them. After his drawing was secured to the wall, he jumped down from the crate and turned to leave.

"You're leaving us?" Sasha called after him. "Don't you wanna play?"

However, Levi was not interested in the game - or this celebration of the winter solstice for that matter - and after a final visit to the office, he went up to his bedroom.

The rest of the group, after being instructed by Sasha, prepared for the upcoming competition.

"Please," Oluo laughed, "You all know that I'm gonna be the one who wins this one. I mean, have you seen the kill count I have?"

"It's not the nape you're going after," Petra commented dryly. Although they had had a major bump in their friendship earlier, Petra knew all too well that life was too short to stay upset about a drunken matter like this. So, although she had not entirely let go of the incident, she had began talking to him again. "But I mean, you might actually have a chance."

"You think so?"

"Yeah," A dangerous glint sparkled in her yes. "It takes an ass to find one, right?"

Oluo let out a laugh. Had it been any other day, he would probably have been offended, but Petra was finally talking to him, so it didn't matter.

Unable to hold back, Petra let herself be swept away by his laughter, and it soon filled the room.

* * *

"I can't believe it!" Oluo watched in awe as he once again looked at his tail. "It's-"

"Seems I was right," Petra put a hand on his shoulder. "You really are an ass."

"Yeah…" Oulo didn't know what to say. Although he was the boasting type, he was also the type that never actually won anything. It was like a curse cast upon him. He could be good at something, very good in fact, but when it all came down to the results, he was always in the cursed second place.

But not today.

Once more he looked at the yellow spot on the wall. That was his spot on the wall. It was a bull's eye - that had been clear as they removed the tail and replaced it with the yellow mark.

"Anyone else who still hasn't tried?" Sasha called out. "Last chance now."

"I guess I could give it a go."

Oluo stiffened. Here it came. This was the moment he would be lose his first place.

"Here," Sasha handed the tail over to Annie.

Anxious, Oluo stepped away from the horse, not daring to look at it as the blonde girl was going to rob him for his prize. However, this was something that he would never admit to, so, doing his best to seem convincing, he turned to look out of the window to check on the weather.

"You know the rules?"

"Just pin the ass, right?"

"That's about it." Sasha nodded. "Good Luck."

Kicking off from the ground, Annie flew through the air.

"Wait! You need to be spun-"

"RAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

"Ouch." Sasha made a funny face.

The room fell silent - everyone except Oluo, who was still howling with pain.

Taking of her blindfold, Annie looked at her results. It was another bull's eye, however….

"YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO PIN THE HORSE! NOT ME!" Tears began flooding the face of the - now definite - winner of the game.

"Oluo, are you okay?" Petra hurried over to her comrade, pulling a paper towel from her sleeve and giving it to him.

"Of course not!" He tore it out of her hand. "I've been impaled."

"I wouldn't really say that..." Petra said, trying to calm him down.

"I have!" The man insisted, blowing his nose in the paper towel. "Can't you see?!"

"Well..." Taking a closer look at the situation, Petra grabbed a hold of the tail and, before Oluo could protest, pulled it out.

"There, there," Petra stroke his back, trying not break through the new wave of howls. "It's gone now."

Although it hadn't directly 'impaled' her friend, the needle on the end was pretty sharp. However, Petra knew that, although it doubtlessly had hurt quite a bit, it hadn't done any real damage. To his luck, Oluo had been packed into his thick winter pants and, well, his long john's and Annie's… precision… had made it scarcely touch anything. Still, it must have been a shock for the proud man to suddenly be handled in such a way.

"I am sorry." Annie had come over to them. "I was certain I followed the rules."

Busy feeling sorry for himself, Oluo kept silent. Then, by the help of his teammates, he was escorted up to his room to take an early night. Petra followed him soon after, carrying a cup of sleeping tea.

As she came downstairs again, Armin had gotten today's piece of paper and was just waiting for Petra so that she could read it:

* * *

 _The twenty-first of December: Evangeliel_

 _… the lake looked like a blue china bowl, edged with gold …_

* * *

 _Early one morning at the end of the second century after Christ the companions tumbled at top speed into Damascus on the bank of the River Barada. They sped past two soldiers who were guarding the western gate and sprang in along the straight street that cuts right through the city._

 _The soldiers turned to one another in confusion._

 _'What was that?'_

 _'Only a gust of wind from the north-west.'_

 _'But it wasn't just wind and sand. I thought I saw people as well.'_

 _The two soldiers were reminded of an old story from a few years ago, about something that had happened at the eastern gate. A group of soldiers had been knocked over by a procession that had approached along the main street and thundered out through the city gate. It had consisted of people and animals, and one of the soldiers thought he had seen angels as well._

 _For as Elisabet, Ephiriel and all the others rushed out through the eastern city gate, they happened to bump into some Roman soldiers. The soldiers fell down, picked themselves up in confusion and tried to see where they had gone. But the procession was soon many years and miles away._

 _Late in the afternoon one day in the middle of the second century they came down to the lake of Gennesareth in Galilee. They stopped in front of a village and looked out across the shining water. ._

 _The hills lay like a wreath round the lake, and now that the golden evening sun was shining on them, Elisabet thought the lake looked like a blue china bowl, edged with gold._

 _The Village consisted of simple houses with a small shed for livestock at one end. Between the houses walked loaded donkeys led by men wearing tunics and cloaks. The women, in loose clothing, were carrying jars on their heads._

 _'We are in Capernaum, which is on the old caravan trail between Damascus and Egypt,' explained Ephiriel. 'Here Jesus called His ﬁrst disciples. One of them was the customs ofﬁcial, Matthew, for Capernaum was an important customs station. Others were the brothers Simon Peter and Andrew, who were both ﬁshermen. "Follow me," said Jesus, "and I will make you ﬁshers of men." '_

 _'He helped them to catch ordinary ﬁsh too,' Impuriel hastened to add._

 _Ephiriel nodded._

 _'Once when Jesus was standing beside the lake to speak to a large crowd of people, He caught sight of two boats lying further down the beach. One of them belonged to Simon Peter. Jesus went on board Peter's boat and asked him to put out from the land. Then He sat in the boat and talked to the crowd from the lake. That was a good idea, because then all the people could see Him while he spoke. When He had ﬁnished speaking He asked Simon Peter to row further out and cast his nets there. Peter said he had tried to catch ﬁsh all night without getting a single one. All the same, he did as Jesus said, and then he caught so many ﬁsh that the net broke with the weight of them.'_

 _'Another time they were out on the lake,' said Impuriel. 'Suddenly a storm blew up, and the disciples were terriﬁed of drowning, but Jesus simply lay down and slept. In the end He was forced to quieten the storm in order to calm the disciples.'_

 _'He wanted to show them that they had very little faith,' explained Ephiriel._

 _'Yes, indeed!' said Impuriel vigorously. 'Yet another time the disciples were out on the lake alone when Jesus came towards them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw Him they were scared, because they thought He was a ghost. But when Simon Peter saw it was Jesus, he thought he'd show off a bit to prove how much faith he had. 80 he stepped out of the boat and walked on the water too. It went well at ﬁrst, but soon he grew afraid of the waves and began to sink. He called to Jesus and asked Him to come and save him.'_

 _Joshua struck his shepherd's crook against a heap of broken stones. 'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

 _They sped off along the shore of the Lake of Gennesareth. Before long Ephiriel called to them to stop. He pointed up at a shelf in the rock._

 _'That's where Jesus gave the famous Sermon on the Mount. He talked about the most important things He wanted to teach us.'_

 _'So what were they?' Elisabet wanted to know._

 _The cherub Impuriel spread his wings, jumped up in the air and said, 'Our Father, Who art in heaven! Hallowed by Thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. . .'_

 _Here he was interrupted by Ephiriel._

 _'Yes, He taught them to pray. Above all, He wanted to teach human beings to be kind to one another. He also wanted to show that nobody is perfect in the sight of God.'_

 _"'Blessed are the merciful,"' said Impuriel. ' "Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also . . . Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you . . . whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so unto them. . ." '_

 _'That's enough, thank you!' interrupted Ephiriel. 'We know you remember it all. And I should think so too, as one of the angels of the Lord.'_

 _All three Wise Men clearly wanted to say something. Caspar and Balthazar nodded at Melchior and let him speak._

 _'But it's not enough to learn such rules of life by heart. It's more important to try to follow them. The most important thing is to do something for people in need, for people who are ill and poor, and for people ﬂeeing from their homes. That is the message of Christmas.'_

 _'To Bethlehem!' attempted Joshua again. 'To Bethlehem!'_

 _They had scarcely got up speed when Ephiriel turned to Elisabet and told her that they were running through the area where Jesus had fed ﬁve thousand people with only a few loaves and ﬁshes._

 _'Yes, indeed!' said Impuriel. 'Jesus wanted people to share the little they had. If only they could learn to share with each other, nobody would be hungry or poor, or very rich either. But it's better that nobody is poor and hungry than that a few people are rich.'_

 _When they came to the village of Tiberias they turned away from the Lake of Gennesareth, up through a hilly landscape. At the head of a fertile valley with palms and fruit trees stood another village. Ephiriel called to the procession to stop._

 _'Angel time says 107 years have passed since Jesus was born. This town is called Nazareth. Jesus grew up here as the son of Joseph the carpenter. It was here that one of the angels of the Lord appeared to Mary and told her she was going to have a child.'_

 _He had scarcely ﬁnished speaking when something seemed to fall down through a hole in the sky. The next moment yet another angel was standing in front of the procession. In his hand he held a trumpet. The angel blew once on the trumpet and said, 'I am the angel Evangeliel, and I proclaim to you a great joy. There is only a short time left until Jesus is born.'_

 _Impuriel began ﬂuttering around Elisabet._

 _'He is one of us and will be with us on the last part of our journey to Bethlehem.'_

 _What had happened reminded Elisabet of the words from the old Christmas carol._

 _' "The angel of the Lord came down and glory shone around," ' she sang in as pretty a voice as she could._

 _The Three Wise Men clapped their hands because she sang so beautifully._

 _That embarrassed her. So that they shouldn't all look at her, she said, 'I can see we must be getting close to Bethlehem if there are so many angels here.'_

 _Joshua gave one of the sheep a little slap on its rump._

 _'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

 _Now there were only a hundred years to go before they reached the city of David._

* * *

After the reading session, they began preparing the apples. Sasha had told them about the apple tradition - although they didn't have any apples at the headquarters, and so they wouldn't be able to do that. However, it seemed like there was yet another surprise from the Commander. As he was passing through the hallway that night on the way to the toilet, he was stopped and asked about it. Erwin was he was happy to inform them that he indeed had some apples that he had ordered in.

Fetching them, he also dressed himself to join them - now too curious to see what they were going to do with them to continue his sleep. So, while Sasha and a few of her friends were helping out in the kitchen by making something on the stove, he was sitting in the corner, reading up on today's piece of story.

Soon the mixture was ready, and Sasha carried it over to the fireplace. Then, taking an apple in one hand and a stick in the other, she began to explain.

"Okay, so we all know that apples are delicious. How how can we make them even better? Well, we've made some glaze in this pot here, and what you do is simply dip your apple down in it, and," she demonstrated as she explained, "then make sure that it's not dripping too much. Then, fasten the apple to the stick like this, and then hold it in the fireplace to make it warm. See?" Holding her apple on a stick into the fireplace, the others could see how it didn't touch any of the flames.

"How long should it stay in there?" Krista asked, excited to try out this new type of apples.

"Oh, I don't know," Sasha shrugged her shoulders. "Until it's done, I guess. I've never really thought about it. Just keep an eye on the apple, and when it turns golden, it's done. Simple."

Nodding, the rest of the group began gathering sticks and apples and got in line for the glaze. They got the hang of it pretty quickly, and under Sasha's guidance and sharp eye, none of the apples burned, except...

"Noo!"

All turned to see Erwin struggle to get his apple out of the flames, but the fight was already lost. There was nothing the Commander could do but to watch as his apple turned brown, and then caught on fire

* * *

The night continued, and so did the soldiers. They kept the fireplace burning and made sure to light some of their newly made candles. There were no more big games, but they did all gather in groups where they began playing something that Connie had done when he was little.

The game was called 'wishing nut'. Here, two people were to open one nut each at the same time, and the one that got the bigger nut on the inside, was allowed to request something from the loser. Of course, if they had followed the rules to the point, there would be a lot of favors, so, to make it more balanced, they all decided to make it into points, and that the one that had the most point in the end would be able to request three things from the loser.

Many a nut was cracked, and the battle to be the victor kept on, long into the night. Some grew tired over time and decided to give up on the solstice and go to their beds, while others fell over where they sat, falling asleep on the floor beside the lit fireplace.

In the end, only two of them were still awake. In the corner of the room, with a candle in front of them, Annie and Armin had found a peacefulness just by sitting there, looking out on the decorated room, drinking what would have to be their fifth cup of coffee that night.

"So," Armin broke the silence. "Have you figured what you want to wish for?"

Annie gave a nod. She had been an active player of the 'wishing nut' and many had lost to her. However, when they all asked what Annie wanted from them, she had just responded with a sad smile. The same smile was the one that Armin received now.

"I want you to listen to what I have to say..."

Armin blinked. "Of course." He was surprised that she had chosen such a simple wish. "Anytime. I'll always want to hear you out if there is something you want to talk about. You don't have to waste your wish on that. We can talk now if you want?"

"No," Annie shook her head. "This is not the time… And when it comes, I'm not sure you would want to listen."

Not knowing what to say to that, Armin turned to look at the fireplace. He wanted to ask, but something told him that it was not the time. Maybe she was right? Maybe there would come a time when they would need to talk. However, she was wrong as well. When that time came, whatever it was, Armin would listen to her.

* * *

 **A/N:  
** Question of the say:  
Do your culture celebrate the turning of the sun?  
How is it celebrated?

Please leave a review with your thoughts, okay?

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	23. 22 - December 22nd

**A/N:  
** After a very long night, our friends wake up to meet the new day.

Make sure you leave a review for each of the chapters :3

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 22ND

* * *

Mikasa woke up earlier than she used to. After the long night she had been pulling, she had thought she might sleep for far longer than usual, but it seemed the usual had happened. Sitting up on the floor, she looked around the main room. Although she could have gotten up to the bedroom, she had chosen to stay down here. Eren had told her that he wanted to stay up the entire night, and she had been more than happy to join him. However, in the small hours, Eren had grown more and more tired, and in the end, he had fallen asleep at her feet. Not wanting to wake him or leave him, Miksa had laid down as well, sleeping next to him just like they had done when they were kids.

Looking down at Eren, she couldn't help but smile. He was still sleeping, his hair all messed up after him twisting and turning. Pulling the blanket off of herself, she put it over Eren, before getting up to her feet. The entire room lay in dead silence and, trying her best not to wake anyone, Mikasa tip toed over to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

On her way back, she caught a glint of a blond mess in the corner. Inspecting it, she was able to make out Armin - and Annie? Mikasa blinked. Although the cuddling up to sleep was something that wasn't unthinkable when it came to Armin, she would never have expected that the ice queen herself would agree to it.

Letting them continue their sleep, Mikasa sat down by the fireplace, setting a few more logs to the dying flames. A little cold without her blanket, Mikasa scuffled closer to the flames and warmed her hands. It was going to be a silent morning no doubt. Not that she minded. To be honest, although what had happened the past twenty days had all been fun and games, it had been a little too much for Mikasa. It was too much to ask for, she knew that. As long as they were safe and sound, she shouldn't be unhappy.

"Morning."

"Morning."

The scientist had been one of those who chose not to participate in the all-night vigil. Instead, she had chosen to take an early night and rather enjoy many hours of sleep.

"Can't sleep?" the older woman asked.

Mikasa shook her head. "Just woke up."

"Impressive," Hange complimented, "After yesterday I was expecting this room to be a wasteland at least until lunch. Speaking of, are you hungry?"

Mikasa was in fact hungry, and the two of them went over to the kitchen.

* * *

Hange had been right in her assumption. Not until dinner was put on the table with a loud THUMP. Rubbing their eyes, the soldiers soon crowded the table, yawning. They were all starving by then, and there was barely enough food on the table to feed them. In the end, Petra ended up going to the kitchen to whip up another batch of porridge, and while they waited, Oluo had some interesting news to share.

"You will not believe what I found on my patrol this morning." He began, fickling with the pockets of his jackets. "I found the perfect piece of wood for a flute."

"Oh yeah, that's right," Ymir replied. "They mentioned that you're a good flute player."

"They did." It was as if he had grown an extra few centimeters. "Yes, I'm pretty good, if I'm to say so myself."

"What are you going to play for us?"

"Well, how about..." He put the flute to his mouth, and from it, erupted a beautiful melody. He had to concentrate not to laugh as he saw the expressions on their faces. And, encouraged by the attention they were giving him, he continued playing.

Listening to him, Mikasa got a somehow familiar feeling. It was as if she had heard the song somewhere before. Looking at the others, it didn't seem like any of them had the same epiphany. Closing her eyes, she pushed it away. It was probably just her imagination.

"Should I get the next part of the story?" Armin asked when Oluo tired of playing, And, as they all agreed, he went upstairs to get it. While the others were waiting, Petra put on a kettle of tea, and after all had gotten their cups, Armin began to read:

* * *

 _The twenty-second of December: The innkeeper_

 _… his food was locusts and wild honey …_

* * *

 _A godly band were journeying through Samaria. It was at the very end of the ﬁrst century after Jesus' birth. They were going to Bethlehem, to Bethlehem!_

 _In the grey dawn one day in the year 91 they stopped at the bank of the River Jordan, which runs from the Lake of Gennesareth to the Dead Sea._

 _'Here it is!' called Ephiriel._

 _The angel Seraphiel took up the story._

 _'Out here in the wilderness Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist. The Baptist was clad in a cloak of camel hair with a leather belt round his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.'_

 _'I know that,' said Impuriel, 'for John had said, "There is one to come who is mightier than I. I am not ﬁt to unfasten his sandals. I have baptised you with water, but He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit."_

 _Then Jesus came and allowed himself to be baptised in the River Jordan. I was sitting high up above in the clouds, clapping my hands. It was a great moment.'_

 _'Wasn't that when the dove came down from heaven?' Elisabet wanted to know. She thought she had once heard something like that._

 _Impuriel beat his wings and nodded. 'Yes, indeed!'_

 _'To Bethlehem!' said Joshua. 'To Bethlehem!'_

 _'How far is it to Bethlehem?' asked Elisabet._

 _'Not very far at all!' said Impuriel._

 _They began running again and were soon passing a large city. As they ran, Ephiriel said that the city was called Jericho and was possibly the oldest city in the whole world._

 _They hurried on along the ancient road between Jericho and Jerusalem. It was the road where the Good Samaritan had helped the poor man who fell among thieves._

 _They stormed up to Jerusalem. First they climbed up to the Mount of Olives. They looked down at Gethsemane where Jesus had been taken prisoner by the Jews, and his disciples had slept when they ought to have been praying for Him. When they looked out over Jerusalem, Elisabet could see only ruined and destroyed buildings. Could this be the Jewish capital?_

 _'The angel watch says it's the year 71 after Christ,' explained Ephiriel. 'Barely a year ago the Romans sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the city because its people had rebelled against the Roman colonial power. Today the Eternal City is like a shattered piece of pottery.'_

 _'It was the Emperor Titus who did it,' said Impuriel. 'Not just him alone, of course. It was Titus and tens of thousands of soldiers.'_

 _'They destroyed the temple as well,' continued Ephiriel. 'Only a small part of the west wall is left. Later this wall will be given the name the Wailing Wall. From this time on the Jews will be scattered over the whole world.'_

 _'It's so silly it almost makes me cry,' whimpered Impuriel. 'We keep on saying "Peace be with you" and "Peace on earth", but humans never seem to learn that they mustn't ﬁght each other. Even though the last thing Jesus said when he was taken prisoner was that those who seize the sword shall perish by the sword.'_

 _Ephiriel agreed. 'All those who celebrate Christmas must remember that. Peace is the message of Christmas.'_

 _'That's what we sing every Christmas night,' continued Impuriel. 'We sing, "Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth!" But it's just as if people don't want to listen to that song. Soon I shan't be bothered to sing it any more, so there.'_

 _Joshua struck his shepherd's crook against the top of the Mount of Olives and said, 'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

 _They sped down through the city. A few people were moving among the ruins. One woman was looking into the ruined buildings as if she was searching for something she had lost._

 _The pilgrims ran out through the remains of the western city gate and down the road to Bethlehem. They were only a few kilometres away from the city of David._

 _All of a sudden they caught sight of a man who was walking beside an ass. When he heard the procession approaching he looked up and waved both arms._

 _'Fear not! Fear not!' shouted Impuriel from a long way away._

 _But the man was not in the least afraid._

 _'Then he is one of us,' said Ephiriel._

 _The man with the ass came towards them. He offered his hand to Elisabet._

 _'I am the innkeeper. I am the one who will say that there's no room for Mary and Joseph. But I shall lend them the stable instead.' Whereupon he lifted Elisabet onto the back of the ass. 'You must be tired after your long journey,' he said._

 _Elisabet shook her head. 'I've run through the whole of Europe, and through the whole of history as well. Then it goes just as quickly as if you're running down a moving staircase.'_

 _The man stared at her without understanding what she said. 'Did you say "moving staircase"?'_

 _Elisabet nodded._

 _"Moving staircase"?' said the man again. 'That's a funny expression._

 _"Moving staircase". . .'_

 _Joshua struck his crook on the ground: 'To Bethlehem! To Bethlehem!'_

* * *

In his room, Connie was sitting on his bed. Normally, he did his very best to be a positive person, but after today's chapter, he couldn't help but feel hollow inside. It wasn't like he didn't enjoy the time he was spending with all his friends in the military, but this whole celebration thing had got him thinking back on the life he had led before enrolling in the military. When he had first enrolled, he had been sick and tired of his mom's constant nagging, and he had felt that the military might be a good change for him. When first leaving, it had felt amazing. He was a free bird and there were no one who could tell him what he should do. Well, of course that wasn't the truth. Many people could tell him what to do – and he would actually have to do it - but it was still different. He had been happy like that, but it had only lasted a week. After that, well, he had started longing for his old room, his bed, but most of all his mom. Mrs. Springer had always been the loving mother – always making food and other little things for those around him. He began having trouble sleeping in the evenings, always remembering the sad expression on her face when he had told her that he was going to join the military and leave her.

It had been a hard time, but luckily, it had gotten better with time. After he got to the training camps, he was introduced to other soldiers, and for each day that passed he got to know them better and better. They weren't his mom, but slowly, over time, they grew close to him and became almost like a new family. And that was why it had hurt so bad as well. Trost. It was supposed to be their moment of glory. The group of soldiers that had been training so hard for the last years together, they were to join the battlefield and finally be able to show the world and the Titans what they were really made of. They would crush them all, they would all be victorious and… and alive. But that was not how it had ended. They had not all been there to see the end of the day. His friends, no, his new family, many of them had been taken from him that day, and it had been another reason for him to cry in his sleep.

Those who survived, at first he had been afraid to keep thinking of them as family, but it was impossible not to. They had all gone through too much together to not feel that way. And they all carried the same burden and the same pain, and that brought them even closer. Thinking back, he didn't know what he would have done without them.

Still, although they were, in a way, family, they were still not his mom. She was the only one that would ever have that place in his heart, and recently, that had become even more clear to him.

Tears had begun to run down his cheeks, and he did his best to wipe them away. It was not that he was afraid to let the others see that he was crying. No, that had never been a fear of his. No, the reason why, was so he wouldn't feel the tears running down his cheeks fall down onto his kramped up knees. If they did, it would make it everything worse, and he knew he would cry even more.

"Connie?"

Wiping his face one more time, Connie looked up to see who it was.

"You're crying?" She didn't need an answer. She didn't need to know anything more. All she needed was to come over to him and hug him, and so she did. Crawling into his bed, Sasha wrapped her arms around him and held him tight.

"It's fine." She gently began to stroke his back, continuing to whisper softly in his ear. "Just let it all out. I'm here."

* * *

It had been a long day, and many had been tired. However, for once, that was not the case with Jean. Today had been a good day for him, and as his friends called it a night, he still felt like staying up for a while longer. In the end, even Petra decided it was time for bed, and the soldier was left to his own company.

He didn't know why, but suddenly something seemed to come over him and he went over to the stove and filled up his cup of lavender tea. Then, putting his boots and jacket on, he went outside and headed for the igloo.

It was dark outside, and even darker inside the snow construction, and Jean instantly regretted not bringing a candle. Cursing himself, he began crawling back out and went back inside. Picking out a candle that would match the scent of his tea, he once again crawled inside the igloo. But he was no longer alone.

"Marco."

Greeting the ghost seemed almost natural to him now. Although, he would never admit that to himself. When a man became too used to talk to spirits of the past, that was saying something about the man. Jean would not like to be known as one of those.

"You never seem to stop worrying, do you?" In the dim light the candle provided, the shape of a young man could be seen in the shadows.

"Of course I do." Jean found a seat. "You'd be worried about me as well if you were still here. I mean, a man seeing ghosts and even talking to them… How do you think that would be perceived in the capital?"

"The capital? Still going for the Military Police?"

"Of course not." Although Jean could have gone to join the military police after graduating, he had for some reason chosen to follow the brat into Scouts. He had cursed himself over and over after that decision had been made. But, after experiencing the life in the cutouts, he longer felt that bad about it.

However, that did not mean that he didn't think back and wonder what might have happened if he had chosen differently. Had he gone to the capital to serve as a part of the military police, would he have been able to do what he had always wanted? Although his main reason for wanting to be within wall Sheena was that it was the safest place to be, there was another reason for his choice. If he was able to get inside the system, he might find a way to help better it so that the levels of difference between the population would be less than it was now. Everyone knew that all who lived within the inner wall lived a life that didn't lack any of the necessities. Many of the inhabitants were well off, and there were nobles who were at the top of it all, looking down upon the rest with judging and distant eyes. Jean wanted to change that. He wanted to be able to let all humans living there be able to support themselves and be able to live and support their families as well.

"Just like you want to." Marco commented. "I never knew you were that interested in starting a family. But, it makes sense, and I can see how you will make a good husband – and father as well when the time comes."

Blushing, Jean looked away from the ghost. It was true. Although he had never talked about it with anyone, he had always had a desire to start a family of his own. He knew, that had he gone to join the military police, that wouldn't have been too big a dream, but out here… There was no chance.

"That's not true." Marco corrected. "there are still many girls here, and are you not thinking about Mikasa?"

"That's a lost cause..." Jean sighed. "She's got Eren." Although he was still harbouring feelings for the Euroasian who had swept past him, her beautiful hair like a veil behind her, it was something that he knew would never happen. It was clear from the very beginning that she was obsessed with the brat, and although he had hoped that his idiocy and lack of appreciation for her would have her lose faith in Eren, it never happened. Whatever the boy put her through, Mikasa never let it sway her feelings for him – not even for a moment. To be honest, Jean might even prefer it to stay like that. Her strong feelings had gone from something annoying to something that was an admirable quality all on its own,and if that was to break down…

No, although he would not be able to get her himself, he would want her to be happy, and if that was with Eren, then that was the way it would be. He would just have to find someone else. Although there was no one else in his eyes at the moment, he would just have to keep his eyes open and maybe, just maybe, he would be able to find her before too long.

* * *

 **A/N:  
** Question of today:  
I you could have switched lives with anyone i the world,  
who would it be? Why?

Please leave a review with your thoughts, okay?

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	24. 23 - December 23rd

**A/N:  
** Armin is always thirsty for knowledge^^  
Oh, and just for your information: this chapter has yet to be betaed, so there might be some weird things in it :P

Please tell me what you think of it in a review.

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 23RD

* * *

"If only there was some information..." flipping through the book, Armin let out a yawn. He had woken up early this morning, feeling like it would be a good day for discoveries. So, instead of falling down into his pillow, he had jumped out of bed, gotten dressed, and went down to the basement. So excited had he been that he had forgotten all about breakfast. However, that had been some time ago and Armin was disappointed to say it, but there had been no new discoveries.

"Come on," he told himself. "There is always an answer." As he said that, memories came to mind. It was what his grandfather always had told him when he was little. After his parents were gone, Armin had moved in with is grandfather. Although he had missed both his mom and dad really much, his grandfather had taken it upon himself to raise the boy at the best of his abilities. It hadn't been easy. Although he wasn't too old to work, work had been difficult to find, but somehow he had managed. Thinking back, Armin could still remember coming home after a long day playing outside with Eren and Mikasa. His grandfather had always put a smile on his face as he was walking through the door, but Armin always knew that there was just for his sake that he did so.

Even after that long day at work, Mr. Arlet always had made sure to take care of his grandchild. So, when he learned that Armin was taking a liking to reading, he had encouraged it with all his heart. "Information and knowledge is were the true power lies," he had used to tell the boy as they were looking into yet another book. "as long as you know enough to be useful, they will not be able to put you aside. Remember that Armin. Whatever you do, never stop to learn."

And Armin never had. Even after his grandpa had disappeared, he had continued looking into books and drawn all the information he could out of them; saving it in his mind. However, he also made sure that he connected all of what he had learned. That was something else that his grandfather had taught him. "It's not enough to remember, Armin. Even the most foolish of soldiers can do that – even a child can do that."

"But, grandpa," The young boy he looked up at him with wonder in his eyes. "I am a child."

This had made the old man laugh. "Indeed you are, Armin. Indeed you are." Then, gaining a more serious look in his eyes, he had looked into Armin's eyes. "But it will not be like that forever. It's not too long before you are a no longer a child. When that time comes, I want you to be prepared."

Young Armin nodded.

"Remember this: What you gain is information. This is something you know because you have hear it, right?"

"or read it," the boy added.

"or read it." Grandpa added

"However, that is not the same as knowledge."

"It's not."

"Knowledge is… You know how you know that it is 4 days to your birthday?"

"Mhm?"

"How do you know that?"

"I... I just know."

"Nobody told you?"

Armin shook his head. "No."

"Exactly. And that is what makes it knowledge and not information, understand?"

"I think so?"

Watching the uncertain expression on his grandchild's face, mr. Arlet tried again. "Think of it as a puzzle. All the information you get are like little pieces. You gather them, and when you have enough of them, the you can find those that fits together, and they will give you something."

"A picture."

The grandfather nodded. "And in the same way you put together information to gain a picture of the information – knowledge."

"Should I get the puzzle boxes, grandpa?"

For a moment the man sat puzzled, but then he began laughing. "Well, well, It wouldn't hurt to do a puzzle or two."

Of course, the old man hadn't meant that solving ordinary puzzles would help the young boy in gaining knowledge, but it was still a good thing to teach the young generation to be patient and learn to work on a problem for more than a just a minute or two.

It was only later that Armin understood the true meaning of what his grandfather had said. What the man had meant was that knowledge was the ability to see the picture of the situation – the pattern in both society and humans by looking into the past as well as the present. A lot could be learned in that way, and Armin suspected that it was because of his grandfather's guidance that he had been able to gain the ability that he was so often praised for.

In truth, Armin had so much to be grateful for. Think back, Armin now understood that his grandfather had done a much better job than many of the parents that he had known. Instead of molding Armin to be like the other children had had lived in the Shiganshina district, he had instead seen what Armin had inside of him, and had nourished it to the best of his ability. Because he was who he was, Armin had been picked on a lot when he was little. The fact that he grew even fonder of books hadn't helped either.

He suddenly though he heard a sound coming from upstairs. Looking up, he thought he could make out the dust falling from in between the planks. The others had probably woken up by now. It would make sense. He had been sitting here for quite a while already. He should probably take a tour to the kitchen himself, he thought. He had been in such a hurry to get down here to read that he hadn't gotten the time to grab even a slice of bread, and that was he feeling the effects of now.

Making sure to slip a piece of paper in between the pages he was reading, Armin closed the book and was heading for the stairs when the door suddenly burst open.

"ARMIN! YOU'RE DOWN HERE?"

"Yes," Armin answered, covering his air to protect himself from the load notice so close him. "I'm here."

"There you are." Sasha smiled down at him from the top of the stairs.

It was only then that Armin noticed what the girl was wearing. Instead of her usual uniform – or even the fluffy weather that Petra had given to her as the days had gone colder, Sasha was now wearing a dress. It was not the same that she had worn of the costume party, but a more everyday looking one. Armin couldn't say that he ad ever seen her wear it before.

"Is that a new dress?" he asked.

"This?" Sasha grabbed a hold of the skits of the dress and swung it back and forth. "Yeah, I guess you could say so – although it is probably very old."

Armin climbed the stair and together that walked into the main room. Here, he was able to take a closer look at the garment.

"It does look old," he agreed.

"Connie found it in the box he found that red outfit."

"You're having a costume party today?"

Giggling, Sasha followed Armin over to the kitchen as he grabbed food. "Not exactly. But we're having a lot of fun."

"Already?" Armin hadn't expected the activity level to be so high this early in the morning. "What are you doing?"

"Well, I remembered it last night," she explained. "That we had this other thing that we used to do in Dauper."

"Oh?"

"Erly in the mornings we would dress up as farmer's girls and then go and wake our families to a breakfast."

"That seems nice." Armin looked around the room. "But I don't see anyone here. "Did you already finish and tidy up?"

"No…" A shadow of disappointment spread on her face. "Unfortunately they weren't too interested in waking up yet."

"Ahh..." Although he felt bad for the energetic girl, Armin could understand why many wouldn't be too happy to be woken up.

"But what about captain Levi? Or Gunther?" He suggested. "Both of them are usually up pretty early."

"They were already gone when I came to wake them," Sasha sighed. "But the Captain and Gunther had already headed out, and so had the Commander and Eld."

"They had?" Armin wondered. "Did they say what they were going to do?"

Sasha shook her head. "I didn't talk with them in person. All I know is what Petra told me as I tried to get her up to join me."

Armin nodded. He couldn't help but hear that Sasha sounded a bit disappointed. After arriving at the castle, Sasha had spent a lot of time with Petra. Or rather, Petra had spent a lot of time with the new girls. It seemed like, although she was close with her own team, she missed having female friends. Of course, she did have Hange, but even Armin could see how Hange wasn't the everyday girl friend.

"So," he hurried to to say, "what is for break feast."

"Buns!"

"Really? isn't that more of a..." He changed his mind. "That sounds good actually."

"Right?!" Sasha opened the cabinet and got out four of them. "Let's start with these. I've been up all night, so there should be more than enough for everyone."

And Sasha's words proved to be right. One by one, the soldier game down in their PJs – all tired after a restless sleep after being woken by some farmer woman. Grabbing a big cup of coffee, they all looked at the buns with skepticism in their eyes, but after trying a bite, they all seemed to be satisfied with the serving. As it seemed all was full, Armin decided to go up to his room. Seeing all of the others wandering around in their comfy PJs had made the genius boy feel a little too well how stiff and uncomfortable the uniform was to sit in. Grabbing his own set of night clothing, he changed and made sure to put one of the pairs of woolen socks that he had knitted. Although it might be more comfortable without the uniform, it was colder as well, and Armin did not intend of feeling cold.

Folding his uniform and putting it back on its usual place, Armin went over to the Christmas calendar and opened it. The picture today was of a pregnant woman sitting on top of a horse – or was it a donkey? And leading the animal was a man with beard. If Armin was not wrong. This had to be the characters that was mentioned as 'Joseph' and 'Maria'. Intrigued by the hope of possibly meeting these characters, Armin hurried to take the note out, and headed downstairs to read to the others:

* * *

 _The twenty-third of December: Mary and Joseph_

 _… it was as if all of them were rehearsing  
_ _something they had to know by heart …_

* * *

 _A godly company was on its way to Bethlehem. In a way the procession of pilgrims stretched from the long, narrow countries below the cold North Pole at the top of Europe, right down to warm Judea, which is where Europe, Asia and Africa meet. It stretched from the distant future right back to the beginning of our era._

 _There were seven godly sheep, four shepherds, three Kings of Orient, ﬁve angels of the Lord, the Emperor Augustus, the Governor Quirinius, the innkeeper, and Elisabet, who was allowed to sit on the back of an ass on the last part of the journey to the city of David._

 _They moved along more and more slowly until they were going at an ordinary walking pace. Ephiriel said that the angel watch had stopped at the year 0. He pointed to a city far away and said that was Bethlehem._

 _At once the Emperor Augustus halted and put his sceptre into the ground under an olive tree. He stood up straight, opened the book he had been carrying under his arm and said in a commanding voice, 'The time has come!'_

 _They all remained standing on the road, and the Emperor continued: 'I order you all to write your names in the census.'_

 _He held up a piece of charcoal and handed it to each one of the pilgrims in turn. Then they all wrote their names in the big book, even the angels. Only the sheep were excused, probably because they couldn't write and nobody had given them names._

 _Elisabet was the last to write her name. She read out all the other names before she added her own signature._

 _1st shepherd: Joshua  
_ _2nd shepherd: Jacob  
_ _3rd shepherd: Isaac  
_ _4th shepherd: Daniel_

 _Ist Wise Man: Caspar  
_ _2nd Wise Man: Balthazar  
_ _3rd Wise Man: Melchior_

 _Ist angel: Ephiriel  
_ _2nd angel: Impuriel  
_ _3rd angel: Seraphiel  
_ _4th angel: Cherubiel  
_ _5th angel: Evangeliel_

 _Quirinius, Governor of Syria  
_ _Augustus, Emperor of the Roman Empire  
_ _Innkeeper_

 _Elisabet added her own name in this way:_

 _1st pilgrim: Elisabet_

 _Then she had a good idea. She thought the sheep ought to be included in the census even though they couldn't write and hadn't been given any names. So she wrote:_

 _Ist sheep  
_ _2nd sheep  
_ _3rd sheep  
_ _4th sheep  
_ _5th sheep  
_ _6th sheep  
_ _7th sheep_

 _She glanced up at the Emperor Augustus. She was afraid he might be angry because she had messed up his census, but he merely slammed the book shut._

 _Elisabet had worked out that there were twenty-three pilgrims listed in the census if she included herself and the seven sheep. That was as many as a whole class in school._

 _After they had registered, the pilgrims became a little more solemn than they had been in Skane and Hamelin, in Venice and Constantinople, in Myra and Damascus._

 _Ephiriel said, ' "Joseph went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem (because he was of the house and lineage of David) to be taxed with Mary, his espoused wife, being great with child." '_

 _The procession of pilgrims started moving off slowly, but before long Ephiriel said they had to stop again. He pointed down the road. A young man was walking beside an ass, and on the ass sat a woman in red clothes. In the background Bethlehem was spread out over a terraced landscape, with long slopes almost bare of grass because of all the ﬂocks of sheep._

 _'There are Mary and Joseph,' said Ephiriel. 'For now the time has come, like a ripening fruit.'_

 _'I must hurry to get there before them,' said the innkeeper, and he started running across the hills. As he ran, he muttered to himself, 'No, I'm sorry, we're full up. But you can stay in the stable...'_

 _A certain nervousness transmitted itself to the other pilgrims. It was as if all of them were rehearsing something they had to know by heart._

 _Impuriel leapt into the air, beat his wings, and said, "'Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is_ _Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall ﬁnd the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." '_

 _Ephiriel nodded, and Impuriel exclaimed, 'Wonderful!'_

 _Then the angel Evangeliel blew his trumpet, and all ﬁve angels chorused together: ' "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men." '_

 _The sheep had suddenly begun bleating. It was as if they, too, had started practising something they had to learn by heart._

 _Joshua the shepherd turned to the other shepherds._

 _' "Let us now go, even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us." '_

 _Finally the Wise Men spoke._

 _"'Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him." '_

 _They knelt down and held out the caskets with gold, incense and myrrh._

 _The angel Ephiriel nodded with pleasure._

 _'I think that'll do.'_

 _Joshua laid down his shepherd's crook carefully on the ﬂeece of one of the sheep and whispered, 'To Be-ethle-ehe-em! To Be-ethle-ehe-m!'_

* * *

As they put the piece of paper away, Mike and Eld went over to the kitchen.

"Connie. Sasha. Are you coming?"

The duo got on their feet as well, and soon the four of them were busy.

"I still don't understand how things can be a bread," Connie shared with his best friend. "It doesn't look like bread, smell like bread, and when I taste it," He ripped off a piece and put it in his mouth. "- it doesn't taste even close to any bred I've had before."

"Me neither" Sasha admitted. She was doing her best not to taste any more of the 'dough in front of her as she had already been told off twice already, but it was just soo good!"

"Are yours ready?"

"Yeah?" Connie looked down on the light yellow dough in front of him. He couldn't really tell if it was or not, but he had been working on it for a while now, and he had a feeling that if he continued like this, then he would end up eating way too much of the dough and get reprimanded just like Sasha.

Mike went over to them to have a look. Nodding, he picked both of them up and brought them over to Eld. Flexing his fingers, Eld got started on his part of the wok. Peaking bit by bit of the dough, he rolled it and made small balls out of them, placing them on a plate that Mike held out for him. It took time, and he was able to fill many a plate, but finally all of the dough was gone.

"Are we gonna put it in the oven now?" Sasha and Connie wondered.

"Oven?" Mike asked. "This isn't going in the oven."

"It's not?"

"No no. Marzipan is supposed to be like this." he explained. "All you do with it warm it up so that it is warm and flexible when you are going molding it into the shape you want it to be."

"Really?" Sasha had never heard of this 'marzipan', but what she heard, and had tasted earlier, sounded promising. "So it's finished? Ready to be eaten?"

"Technically," Eld confirmed. "Although it is better to let it wait for a while so that it gets to cool into the new shape. And," he added, "they are meant for the party tomorrow, so we're not gonna eat them all today."

"I know that," Sasha pouted. "But just a little one - because we helped making it."

"Yeah, just a little taste." Connie agreed.

The blonde men looked at one another.

"I guess that would be okay." picking off four the pieces, he put them on a separate plate. "Here," he told them. "Put this one outside. It will cool faster that way. Put on some clothes as well. In fifteen minutes they should be good to eat."

"Okay!"

Before he could say another word, the two recruits were out the door.

"Do you think they will eat them all?"

"Undoubtedly."

* * *

 **A/N:  
** Question of the day:  
Do you like marzipan?

Please leave a review with your thoughts, okay?

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	25. 24 - December 24th

**A/N:  
** Okay, so the big night is here! It is time to celebrate and to give gifts!

Please give at review in the end of the chapter - telling me both what you think of the chapter itself as well as answering the daily question.

 **\- NOTE THAT THIS CHAPTER HAS YET TO BE BETAED.**

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 24TH

* * *

"Put them on! Come ooooon!"

"Fine! Fine! Just stop!" Fighting off Hange with one arm, Reiner used the other one to fasten a pair of reindeer antlers. "There. Are you done now?"

Taking a step back, Hange looked upon the new creature in front of her. "Yes! I most definitely am! Well, at least for now." Then, making sure that her own set of antlers were still in their place, she walked off.

"Why is it always these silly things..."

"Probably because it sounds the same." Bertolt smiled down on him. "As your name I mean."

Reiner grunted, but before he could comment further, the commander clapped his hands.

"Very well, very well. Now that we are all here, I feel it's only fitting that we read the last part of the Christmas Calendar."

Armin was sent upstairs to get the calendar, and while he was away, Eld opened up the boxes of cakes and marzipan and placed them on the table. As the genius boy was back downstairs, all the soldiers were gathered around the table, all with a cup coffee in one hand, and a cookie in the other. Picking up a cookie for himself, Armen went over to Erwin to give him the piece of paper, but Erwin shook his head.

"It is your Calendar," he smiled. "You started the journey, so it's only fitting that you will be the one to end it."

Nodding, Armin found his place, unfolded the paper, and read:

* * *

 _The twenty-fourth of December: The Christ Child_

 _… a spark from the great beacon behind those weak lanterns in the sky …_

* * *

 _It's the middle of of the world between Europe, Asia and Africa. It' in the middle of history at the beginning of our era. Soon it will be the middle of the night as well._

 _A silent crowd is stealing upwards between the houses in Bethlehem. They are a little ﬂock of seven sheep, four shepherds, ﬁve angels of the Lord, three Kings of Orient, one Roman Emperor, the Governor of Syria, and Elisabet from the long, narrow country below the North Pole._

 _The weak glow of oil lamps is streaming from the windows in a few of the simple houses, but most people in the old town have gone to bed for the night._

 _One of the Wise Men points up at the sky where the stars are burning in the darkness. They are like sparks from a beacon far away. One star is shining more brightly than all the other stars in the sky. It looks as if it's hanging a little lower in the sky as well._

 _'A little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie.  
_ _Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by,'  
_ _murmurs Elisabet softly, remembering an old carol._

 _The angel Impuriel turns towards the others, puts a ﬁnger to his lips, and whispers, whispers, 'Hush . . . Hush...'_

 _The procession of pilgrims gathers in front of one of the inns of the town. In a moment or two the innkeeper appears at the window. When he sees the group outside he nods ﬁrmly and points to a cave in the wall of rock._

 _The angel Ephiriel Whispers something; it sounds like the words of a nursery rhyme._

 _"And while they were there, the time came for her child to be born, and she gave birth to her son, her ﬁrst-born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."_

 _They creep across the yard and stop in front of the cave. The smell from it tells them that it is a stable._

 _Suddenly the silence is broken by the cry of a child._

 _It is happening now. It is happening in a stable in Bethlehem._

 _Over the stable a star is twinkling. Inside the stable the new-born child is wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger._

 _This is a meeting of heaven and earth. For the child in the manger is also a spark from the great beacon behind those weak lanterns in the sky._

 _This is the wonder. It is a wonder every time a new child comes into the world. This is how it is when the world is created anew under heaven._

 _A woman is breathing deeply and weeping. Not out of sadness. Mary is weeping quietly, deeply and happily. But the child's cries drown out Mary. The Christ-child is born. He has been born in a stable in Bethlehem. He has come to our miserable world._

 _The angel Ephiriel turns solemnly towards the other pilgrims and says, "Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour."_

 _The Emperor Augustus nods._

 _'And now it's our turn. Everyone is to take up their places, everyone must remember their lines. We have rehearsed this for almost two thousand years.'_

 _Quirinius speaks, at a sign from the Emperor._

 _'Shepherds! Take your ﬂock out into the ﬁelds, and never forget to be Good Shepherds. Wise Men! Depart to the desert and mount your camels, each one of you. May you never cease to read the stars in the sky. Angels! Fly high above the clouds, all of you. Do not reveal yourselves to people on earth unless it is absolutely necessary, and never forget to say, "Fear not!" For now Jesus is born.'_

 _The next moment all the shepherds and sheep, the angels and the Wise Men, had vanished. Elisabet was left alone with Quirinius and the Emperor Augustus._

 _'I must hurry home to Damascus,' said Quirinius. 'I have an important role to play there.'_

 _'And I must go back to Rome,' said Augustus. 'That is my role.'_

 _Before they went, Elisabet pointed at the stable and asked, 'Do you think I may go in?'_

 _The Emperor smiled from ear to ear._

 _'Of course you are to go in. That is your role.'_

 _Quirinius nodded energetically._

 _'You haven't come all this long way just to hang about.'_

 _With those words the two Romans started running back along the way they had come._

 _Elisabet looked up at the starry sky. She had to tilt her head far back to see the big star which was shining so brightly. Again she heard the cry of a child from inside the cave._

 _So she went into the stable._

* * *

"And?" Krista asked.

"And that it."

"It can't be," Krista protested. "We wanna know what happened next!"

Armin double checked, turning the paper to see if anything might have been written on the back of it, he even went up to check if there was any signs of a second paper, but there was none.

"I don't know?" Armin checked again, and soon others got on their feet as well, looking for the finally of the story.

"I don't understand," Krista looked underneath the benches. "It can't just disappear into thin air?"

"Of course not." Ymir agreed as she helped moving the table.

Krista sighed. "Then where could it be?"

"Maybe..." Erwin stopped, a though had just come to him. "Maybe it was never finished?"

"What?"

"It might be that it was intended this way. That an ending would conflict with the message?"

"Message?" Armin got on his feet and went over to the Commander. "What do you mean?"

"The message that has been hidden underneath the story. It has been there from the were beginning, and if I'm right, then it would explain the absence of an ending."

"Ah!" Listening to the Commander's words, Amin finally understood. "It's about us!"

The commander. "I think so as well. I think that, more than anything, the calendar wants us to think."

"Indeed," Hange nodded, a serious expression on her face. However, a second later it was replaced by a wild grin. "and speaking of thinking, I think it's time to stop thinking!" Putting a bottle of beer to her lips, the scientist began chugging. And, seeing her, cheer broke out in the room and they followed her lead.

* * *

The night went on, and as it did, the Christmas spirit filled each and every one of them i turn. Games were played, and there were much of spiced wine and beer to go around. All were mingling, all except...

"You too, eh?" Oluo had been using the bathroom, and on his way back, he noticed the horse faced recruit standing by himself; leaning toward the door frame. "I was thinking the exact same myself."

"What are you doing?!" Jean's eyes widened as the older man stopped beside him.

"I'm waiting under the mistletoe, of course." Oluo hissed. "What did you think I was doing?"

"Idiot!" Jean hurried to look to both sides and was about to push Oluo away, when-

"Look! They're underneath the mistletoe!" Sasha Blouse, her own set of antlers swaying from side to side, shouted out; pointing at the two standing underneath it. "Kiss!"

The attention turned to them, and Oluo became very, very aware of the situation. "Hey, wait-"

"I'm not doing it!" Jean refused.

"Me neither!" Oluo nodded.

"But you have to." From her seat on the mental piece, Hange sent them an evil grin. "Rules are rules, boys. Or," Her eyes widened as she sent them a judging glare. "That is what you would tell the girls, riiiiight?"

"I..." Jean opened his mouth to protest, but before he could do that, something hit him in the face.

It wasn't the gentles or longest kiss they had seen, but seeing as Jean escaped up to his room as room as Oluo released him, they all accepted it. And so, the party continued, all making sure to stay clear of the mistletoe - all except Oluo that stayed on his post, patiently waiting for Petra to walk past.

It never happened, however, as he closed his eyes for a brief second, a kiss was planted on his cheek, but before he could see who it was, the person was gone.

Wondering who it could have been, he wondered if he should ask around, but as he reached a decision, Erwin announced that the secret santa was about to begin. Hearing this, all hurried upstairs and got their presents and hurried to put them in a pile beside the Commander. As all the presents were fetched, he picked up gift and read out:

"Mike."

The squad leader went up and accepted the present. Taking his seat, he unwrapped the brown paper, and inside it he found-

"A set of smelling salts." He gave it a sniff, and a gentle smile appeared on his face. "Thank you."

Erwin picked up the next present. "Mikasa." And another. "Gunther."

Both accepted their presents and opened them.

"Just what I needed." Gunther looked at his newly grinded knife. "Thank you Eld."

"Me?"

"Of course," Gunther smiled. "You're the one I've been complaining to about it having lost its edge."

"I guess it wasn't that difficult." Eld had to admit, and then he got on his own feet to receive a gift.

* * *

Mikasa was looking at her present in wonder. She knew they couldn't expect much from one another - especially because they might not know their receiver all too well, but this… Holding the three nuts up in front of her, Mikasa couldn't make out who it was from. A gift should represent something between the two of them, or at least the person receiving it, but nuts… She pondered a little while longer, but then the young woman shrugged her shoulders. It didn't matter who had given her the nuts, what was important was that she felt a strangely fond for them. And so, putting them in the breast pocket, she continued watching as her friends received their gifts.

* * *

Soon all gifts were handed out. Most seemed pleased with their gifts, but there were also a few that couldn't keep their disappointment, and even anger, from their face. Most noticeably was to be seen on Reiner's face - his face burning as he looked down on the drawing he had gotten. It was no question who had picked him in the hat. Who but Ymir would have given him a drawing of Krista dressed in a wedding dress with a speech bubble coming from her saying: "I wanna marry Ymir!"

The happiest reaction, however, was from the potato girl. Opening her present, one you see the happiness beaming from her face. "CHOCOLATE!" Picking up a piece, she threw it in her mouth, her expression changing to pure pleasure. "Aaaah! Sooo gooood."

Beside her, Connie smiled. He knew she would like it, and although he would have liked to try a piece himself, watching her joyous face was indeed worth it.

* * *

Looking at his soldiers, Erwin smiled. It was such a blessing that they had come across the Mysterious Christmas Calendar. Never in his time as Commander had he ever felt so satisfied. The days they had spent here had been happy, but it would all come to an end. Tomorrow they would leave.

* * *

 **A/N:  
** Question of the day:  
What is the best Secret Santa gift you have received?  
And were you able to guess who it was from?

Please leave a review with your thoughts, okay?

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	26. 25 - December 25th

**A/N:  
** S, in a way Christmas has ended, but our friends have still more to experience.  
Let's see how they all feel after last night's party!

Please make sure to leave a review in the end of each chapter to tell me what you think of the chapter - as well as answering the question of today!

 **\- NOTE THAT THIS CHAPTER HAS YET TO BE BETAED.**

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 25TH

* * *

Opening his eyes the morning of the 25th of December, Levi was not the happiest bunny. The night had been a long one, and there had been too much noise for his liking. After what had seemed an eternity of caroling, the Captain had finally been able to close his eyes and let himself wander into sleep. He had dreamt. What the dream was about had he forgotten as his eyes opened, but he remember being restrained by something heavy. However, it seemed that that had not been a dream entirely.

"Wake up." He shook his leg, bumping into his subordinate. "You're heavy..."

A grunt left the girl and, contrary to the Captain's wish, snuggled even closer to him. Levi had never been a fan of striking those close to him - and especially not those that never disobeyed him, but there was a limit to it. Making sure that he wouldn't actually harm her, the Captain was about smack her, when a mumble from her lips made his freeze.

"Ha...happy..py…. birth...day... cap...tain..."

Clearly still in the midst of some dream, Levi found himself smiling. There were many things about him that was unknown to the world. Few knew of his upbringing and even fewer of his birthday. Still, of all the members, he wasn't surprised that the one to remember it would be Petra. The girl owned the sweetest heart, and was always there to say the right thing when the world was nothing but wrong.

Placing his hand on her shoulder, he gave it a gentle squeeze. She looked so peaceful in her sleep, and, if staying like this would keep her in that peaceful world for a while longer, then how could he refuse her.

* * *

"They're gone!"

"What?" Connie sat up from his

"They're gone!" Sasha repeated, pointing at the plate on the mental piece. "All of them!"

"Are you sure?" Eager to look, the boy ran over to check for himself. Indeed, the cookies were gone. "Sasha, it wasn't you, was it?"

"What?" the girl looked almost offended. Although she admitted that it wasn't totally out of nowhere to assume that she had been the one to eat the cookies, she would never touch these cookies; Santa's Cookies.

"Okay, okay." Connie apologized. "But if it wasn't you… then who could have eaten them?" He looked around the room. "Eld?"

"Hmm?"

"You didn't eat the cookies, did you?"

"No?"

"Thought so..." Connie sighed. "Then who?"

"Con! You don't think?"

"Sash! You're right!" His eyes widened as the bot looked at each other, realized the truth.

"SANTA!"

Looking through the doorway, Eld had a firm grip on his lunchbox. To prepare himself for the journey home, he had already made himself a lunchbox. It was then that he had seen the cookies that had been put out for this Christmas Saint. It was a peculiar thing to do, putting out sweets for him, but that was what had made able to give them a little bit of Christmas hope. And, he told himself, he had not told any lies. He had not eaten the cookies. Not yet. That would have to wait until their way home.

* * *

Eld was not the only one that prepared a lunch box. As they woke up, soldiers entered the kitchen and began emptying the cabinets for food.

"Where's Levi?"

"Oh, he's still in bed." Erwin smiled.

Hange blinked. "Still?" She couldn't believe that the number one early bird was still in bed on an important day like this.

"Yes, but let him sleep for once." the commander hurried to say. "You know how difficult it is for him to get a good night's sleep."

Nodding, Hange agreed to let him stay in bed. However there was a catch. If the captain was not up and ready as they loaded the sleigh and carriage, she would be allowed to wake the captain by using any method of her liking.

* * *

The morning passed and soon they had filled the carriages and sleighs with all they would need for their journey home, It was not all of what had been brought there. To bring it back home would only slow them down, and it was always a good idea to leave resourced there for a future visit.

As they were all ready, Hange's mood was on top. There were still no signs of the captain. However, asd she was jumping down of the carriage she had been loading, a cough behind her made her mischievous smile disappear as a potato near Sasha.

"Captain?"

"Good Morning, Hange."

If the scientist hadn't known better, she would have sworn that there was a twisting snake of murder in his eyes, but it had to be her imagination, right?

"All ready?" The Commander was standing in a sligh, looking over they courtyard. "We're heading off in 5!"

"YES, SIR!"

Erwin nodded, please with this morning's effectivity. It had been a swift operation, and the castle had been cleaned emptied and put in order in no time. Thinking about their stay there, the Commander came to a strange conclusion. This stay, and the discovery of the christmas calendar… It truly had brought out the purest and best in all his men. Not all of it was because of the Calendar story itself, but the words had painted pictures in each of the soldier's mind, that he was sure of.

"The story is written in such a way that there would always be something new to discover if one though through its content. The world itself is like that." He explained as he looked over at his praised soldier. "The more we understand, the more we see in things around us, and the more we see in things around us, the more we understand. So there will always be something new to discover if we only have our eyes and ears open to the remarkable world we live in."

"..."

"It's a bit to wrap the head around, but-"

"It's understandable."

"Good." The Commander looked back at the old castle. "You know," he told his captain. "I think it won't be a bad idea to return next year."

The unspoken question hung in the air as the Captain looked at the snowy scenery in front of him with empty eyes. "Maybe…"

* * *

 **IT'S NOT OVER YET! STAY TUNED FOR A NEW YEAR'S CHAPTER!**

* * *

 **Author's note:**

So, Christmas is finally over. That means that there is just one thing to say, right? That's right; "Finally!". No, just kidding: "Merry Christmas!"

Or, to be honest, it is a little of that 'I'm finally done'-feeling. Don't take me wrong - I love writing Christmas stories - I mean, I've done it three years in a row now, and have already ideas for three new ones, but it does take a toll on me.

As some of you might know, I write a lot during the NaNoWriMo events, and I have them to thank for a massive productivity. Both the event itself - but especially the people you meet during those hard months, are so, so, soooo good as motivators. So, I wanna go out there and thank all of you that have joined me in wars, pulled me into long nights, or even stayed up crawling the the night through. You are all amazing, and without you this story would have been so thin and short that the Titans would have broken through it without any problems.

A person that I need to thank is my lovely beta. On the two previous Calendars, I've had some help, but I've never had such help like I did this year. Iseria2you was new to me when I planned out the main parts of this story, but after we got in touch, and she agreed to be my beta, she has been so helpful. Not only is she looking through my texts on the search for misspelled words, she also helped me in shaping the chapters and making sure that nothing tooooo weird happened. Thank you so much 3.

And last, but not least, I have to thank all of you that have taken the time to read this story, I hope you all enjoyed spending Christmas with all of our friends in the world of Attack on Titan, and that you've left reviews answering the daily questions. Even though this Christmas is over, I will still be very happy to receive you reviews, so make sure to send them - be it January, May, or even Christmas another year. The Christmas spirit is always there.

That said, I'm also planning on doing a Q&A soon. Here I will be able answering question about about my stories, my writing and also questions in general. I really want you guys to send in your questions - big or small, so that I can give just you *wink* answers to the questions you have. To send me a question, simply write it here in a review or send it to me on any of the social media below. Make sure to sign it if you want your name to be mentioned. The Q&A will be uploaded to YouTube and posted through my Social Media, but if you want to be sure you're not missing out on it, you can send me a PM about reminding you, and I will send you a notice back when it is published.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and exceptionally new year.  
[ Remember that there is a new year's chapter as well ;) ]

Thank you,  
Winny

* * *

 **A/N:  
** Question of today:  
What did you get for Christmas this year?

Please leave a review with your thoughts, okay?

 **Please like /follow me if you enjoy my stuff:**  
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	27. 31 - December 31st

**A/N:  
** Okay, so this is the very last chapter of this year's Christmas Calendar. It has been quite a long story this year - both when it come tho the number of word for each chapter and in the number of chapters.

The calendar was also different i the way that I use content from an exciting book - 'The Christmas Mystery' by Jostein Gaarder. It is an amazing story - so if you want to know more about Elisabet and the others, make sure you pick it up. It is originally written in Norwegian, but it is excerpts I've used is from the official English translation of it.

Anyway, I hope you've all enjoyed the story, and that you will leave a review at the end to tell me how it was to read a story like this - as well as answering the very last question of the day.

 **\- NOTE THAT THIS CHAPTER HAS YET TO BE BETAED.**

 **Disclaimer:  
** «I do not own any of the following pictures, music, characters or the original universe. Nor do I own the Christmas Calendar or its content. I only own this Christmas story and the mixing idea.»

For practical purposes, Hange Zoë will be referred to with female pronouns. The character's gender has not been confirmed by the creator, so there is still a mystery about what is the truth of it. However, because it is hard to write around the pronouns, I chose the female gender because this is what they used for the English dub of the Anime. I hope that you all understand my reasoning for this, and that if you have another opinion on the gender, you can still replace the pronouns while reading.

* * *

DECEMBER 31ST

* * *

"So, are you ready for midnight?"

"Hmm?" Reiner looked up at the dark sky, draping the whole of the world outside the walls in a blanket of darkness. "Yeah, it's gonna be nice being the same age as you again"

"But I'll still be the older one" Bertold teased, gathering his feet underneath himself, trying to find a more comfortable way to sit. Much could be said about the walls, one comfortable to sit on was none of them.

"By two days."

It was almost a week since they had returned from what they now referred to as their Christmas home. The journey back from the old castle had been a peaceful one, and although the snow was heavy, it didn't cause as much of a problem that they had thought that it would. As they arrived back at the main headquarters, they were met by the rest of the scouts stationed there, and together that had empties vehicles and gotten inside to a big plate of hot food.

Although they were all happy to finally be home and in a safer building that the Christmas home, many of them had mentioned that they missed staying in the little castle. Although reiner hadn't felt too strong a connection to the celebrative aspect with their stay, not even he could deny that the time they had spent there had been one filled with its own kind of joy and happiness.

What hurt him the most was looking at Krista. The little girl had always been a positive and helpful spirit, but at the cabin that had shown itself thricefold. Kirsta had loved everything about Christmas, and it was clear to see on her face that she was now missing it dearly. Not even Ymir seemed to be able to get the girl back to her normal self, and for once, Reiner hoped that Krista might open her heart and let Ymir pull her out of the after Christmas depression she had fallen into.

"So, how do you want to spend it?"

"I don't really know..." Reiner admitted. Through all the years they had known each other, it had been a tradition of sorts to ask the other what they wanted out of their birthday, bt for once Reiner felt conflicted of what he wanted. "This year… Let's rather celebrate the new year."

"But it's your birthday!" Bertold protested. "I know it is the first day of the new year, but it was also the very first day of your life."

To anyone that listened, this was wrong. Reiner Braun was registered as a male with the 1st of August registered as his date of birth. That was a lie. They both knew that. When making their applications for the army, Bertolt had filled in his real information, while reiner had chosen to do a few changes. When later confronting his friend about this, Reiner had given Bertot a strange smile, telling him it was was to mark the start of his new life as a soldier.

"And what did it give you?" Reiner asked.

"What?"

"Your own birthday." Reiner looked at his friend with steady eyes. "What did yesterday give you? Did it bring you what you wanted?"

Bertold avoided meeting his friend's eyes. Although what he had just said was the truth, he didn't like to admit that. On December 29th, the tall man had wished for only one thing. It hadn't been a big thing - not to any degree like the wished he had had previous years. I had thought that the fault; that he was wishing for too much. However, as he waited, and the 30th went by, nothing happened.

"I guess I should just wait a while longer…" Bertolt turned his attention to the starry sky above them. "If I do, then maybe soon..."

* * *

Further east on the wall, looking up at the sky above, Krista couldn't hold back the tear hiding in her eye. A year had passed, a horrible year filled with death of her comrades. Now it was over, and more than anything, she hoped that this year, this new year would be kinder to them. She didn't want to loose any more of her friends, but in her stomach, she felt her wish was a futile one. No matter how much she wanted this beautiful world to change, the fact remained; that this was a cruel world.

Standing beside her, Ymir looked down at Krista. It had been a hard year, and there was more hardship to come. She knew, although she could never tell anyone, that the time ahead would put them through more than they had even imagined. So, just for tonight, the last of nights, she would keep still and not tell them what she heard in the wind.

However, as she listened to the song of doom the wind song, another voice seemed to join in as well. Looking to her left and right, it seemed she was not the only one.

And so, as they all stood still, they could hear it. There were no signs of it being a voice, it could very well have been the whispers from the last leaves; whispering as the tried to hold onto their branches. Still, if they listened intently, it was almost like they could hear a familiar voice, a whisper in the newborn year:

"Happy New Year."

* * *

 **A/N:  
** LAST CHAPTER YOU GUYS!

Last question as well:  
If you could decide the next fandom I was to write a Christmas Calendar for,  
which fandom would you choose? Anime, TVShows and Books are all allowed.

Please leave a review with your thoughts, okay?

 **Please like /follow me if you enjoy my stuff:**  
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